Without wasting any time, Tom injected a large amount of Etherium into his legs and leaped out of the attack's range.
SLICE
The wind blade, on the other hand, continued its path, cutting through everything in its way, even the thick tree trunks were split in two. The blade traveled for about 20 meters before coming to a halt.
Tom observed the destruction caused by the wind blade and felt a shiver run down his spine. 'He's only supposed to be one rank above Mooglie, and he's this much stronger? If that's the case, then how powerful are those at the top of the hierarchy?'
He was so astonished by that attack that he momentarily forgot he was in the middle of a fight. Unfortunately for him, the monkey-like creature seized this opportunity to close the distance and make him pay for his lapse in attention.
In an instant, the creature was in front of Tom, wielding its spear to strike at Tom's head.
Tom reacted just in time, his training and experience kicking in. He raised his arms to block the incoming strike, and the monkey's spear clashed against Tom's Etherium-infused forearms. The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the forest, and Tom was pushed back several meters.
The monkey-like creature, not wasting any time, pressed its advantage, lunging forward with a series of swift spear thrusts. Each thrust was precise and quick, making it challenging for Tom to counter. He backpedaled, dodging the attacks while keeping a close eye on his opponent's movements.
He continued to evade for a while before realizing that if he did nothing, he would likely lose. So, when he blocked one of the monkey's spear strikes, Tom used one of his feet to kick debris and dirt on the ground right into the monkey's face.
This tactic was far from honorable, but Tom didn't hesitate. In his view, passing up an opportunity to defeat his opponent just because a tactic was considered "dirty" would be foolish.
The debris obstructed the monkey's vision, causing it to cease its attacks momentarily, allowing Tom to retreat to a safer distance.
However, knowing that the creature could use its wind attack like before, Tom couldn't afford to take a moment's rest and swiftly closed the gap between them, running in a zigzag pattern.
This was the technique he had used against Mooglie in their first battle, zigzagging to confuse his enemy while closing in.
Once in front of the creature, Tom feinted a strike to the abdomen, similar to what he had done with Mooglie. The creature fell for it and tried to block the attack with its spear.
Seizing the opportunity, Tom sidestepped around the creature, aiming to get on its flank. His tactics seemed to be working, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction.
However, this time, there was something different compared to his previous fight with Mooglie. As Tom prepared to land a powerful strike on the creature's side, he felt resistance, as if an invisible force was pushing back against his attack.
'Wind,' he noticed when his attack failed.
The ability to use wind as a sort of shield surprised Tom. He hadn't expected the creature to possess such a capability.
It's important to note that this creature, like Tom, was only at level 1, which meant its range of abilities using wind should have been limited. Tom himself could only use Temporal Stasis for his Astralum of Time at this point.
'Already, his wind-based slashing attack is quite advanced for a level 1. Using the wind as a defense is definitely beyond what an ordinary level 1 could do. He has experience in utilizing his Astralum,' Tom realized, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Since his attack had been deflected, Tom jumped back and distanced himself from the creature. However, much to his dismay, he saw the creature turn towards him and use its wind blade attack again.
The worst part? This time, it wasn't just one blade coming his way, but three!
"Shit," Tom exclaimed before he started running to dodge the blades.
He managed to evade them somehow, but the creature, realizing that Tom excelled in close combat, the creature decided to keep him at bay
'What the hell,' Tom thought when a rain of wind blades came at him.
'How can he create so many? Does he have an endless supply of Etherium in his body?' Tom wondered as he leaped onto a branch to avoid a wind blade that passed dangerously close.
'No, he can't keep this up forever. His Etherium reserves will eventually run out at this rate. What an idiot,' Tom thought while running in circles.
Indeed, what Tom had deduced was true. It was foolish of the creature to keep using its wind attacks, especially since Tom was able to evade them. After several seconds, the creature was forced to stop for a moment as its Etherium reserves were depleting.
Seeing this opportunity, Tom grinned and decided to seize it. He sprinted toward the creature at top speed.
When he was just a few meters away from the creature, he used his Etherium to enhance the muscles in his arms to make his punches more powerful.
However, just as he was about to strike the creature, it used the wind to make a large leap backward, putting a considerable distance between them.
'You can run for now, but sooner or later, you'll have to come down, and that's when it'll be over for you,' Tom thought gleefully.
Meanwhile, Mooglie, who was a few hundred meters away from the battle, frowned slightly and then wore a distressed expression.
Apparently, his master had underestimated his opponent, and it seemed like he was going to regret it bitterly.
What Tom hadn't noticed due to his inexperience was that the wind blades he was evading this time, unlike the first wind blade attack launched by the creature, had some sort of Etherium threads attached to them.
He might have noticed this if he had used his Etherium to scan the attacks, but unfortunately, he hadn't.
The consequence of all this was that, as he found himself at the creature's previous location, he felt a tremor in the ground. In the next second, dozens of razor-sharp wind blades came at him from all sides.
The creature had attached its Etherium to the blades like threads and, when Tom had attacked, it had pulled on those threads to retrieve the blades like a yo-yo.
But since the blades would have sliced him apart as well, the creature had distanced itself, leaving Tom to face a horde of sharp wind blades coming at him from all directions.
Tom realized his perilous situation too late as he tried to evade the incoming blades, but they surrounded him on all sides, leaving him with no clear escape route.