"Create sand." With the sword in my dominant right hand, I create sand with my left hand.
This distraction allowed Steve an opportunity to break free, so I ran a short distance. The area was filled with trees, providing me with a potential advantage. However, there was nothing suitable for jumping.
"No!" Fear gripped me. The wolf moved swiftly, leaping in my direction. I flung sand behind, hoping to blind it, but the wolf shut its eyes. I swung my sword at its face, but it remained unaffected. The wolf lunged, striking me straight in the stomach.
'I can't breathe.' , I was thrown against a tree, with the impact seared through my back.
"Ugh!" The pain surged, like getting punched in the stomach.
Never before had I endured physical attacked like this. Memories flashed in my mind; I could only recall my mother inflicting such damage when I refused to go to school. She threw my computer monitor out of the window from the second floor, followed by my CPU, which was custom-made and heavy, landing on my stomach.
"I wonder what my mother is doing now, I miss her."
"Felix! get a grip!"
A voice called out; whose voice was it?
"Arghh! cough* cough* "
Blood? I glanced at my palm. Would I really die like this? Perhaps it's better than the almost-death experience earlier.
Ah, my potion! I fumbled for my leather bag.
"There, it's in the middle of the road." It might seem foolish, but it was the practical choice to leave it in the open area.
I crawled toward the bag.
"Heavy sword slash!"
"Create a fire spear!"
I could hear them fighting. I don't know if I should reach for my potion or activate the bracelet for an escape? It had the capability of teleporting a person, if memory served. No! I want to go home!
I opted for the bracelet, pressing it slowly amidst my aching body—better than facing death.
'I'm scared! I don't want to die! '
"Hmmm?" Someone grasped my hand.
'Why? Elina, what a beauty!'
"You know, I like you. Why didn't you say anything to me?"It felt as if she were someone else, but those were the words I'd longed to express to her.
"Drink this!" Elina took my hand and thrust the bottle's lip, even its neck, into my mouth.
Guruguru! Wait, I was dying and drowning! I felt an energy surge, but it seemed like I was drowning.
"Is he okay?" Steve asked Elina.
I had to drink it. It even came out of my nose. After finishing it, my strength slowly returned.
"Are you trying to kill me?" I yelled at her.
"Oh!" She looked at me, equally shocked.
"Oh! Just rest, Felix," Steve suggested. However, I sat down tilted on a tree. My stomach still hurt, but not as much as before.
Observing my surroundings, I noticed the unique monster was dead, and two more normal wolves shared the same fate. Sonia lay on the ground.
"What happened to her?" I asked Steve, pointing at Sonia.
Elina explained that Sonia had got shocked during a skill upgrade, which was interrupted by the monster. As a result, her emotions wouldn't return for a few days.
This is bad, we can't wait for her to return to normal, since today is the exam day.
"That's why I insisted her not to open her eyes, even if attacked by a monster, as it might overwhelm her," Steve explained. "Also, if she doesn't complete her skill upgrade, she might fall into a slump. That's why she meditates to finish her upgrade."
I understood what happened to her.
"DRY OUT!" It was a mana phenomenon; when a person is upgrading their skill, their mana will deplete for a few seconds. However, if the user becomes overwhelmed with any emotion—happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, or surprise—they will enter a state of unconsciousness with open eyes for two days. Sometimes, they may even die. Luckily, I knew how to remedy it.
"It was lucky that she didn't die," I said to them, and they agreed with me.
When someone's in this state, creating a strong smell to stimulate their nerves helps. Though their mana slowly recharges, they remain unconscious. It's still better than leaving them completely unresponsiveness.
"I put my hand on her nose! "I declared, noticing movement in her fingers.
"What's that? Stink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like dung!"
She came back to life, and I rushed to Steve's side.
Elina and Steve's faces lit up, as if it were the happiest moment of their lives, and they hugged Sonia.
"Huh?!" Sonia couldn't react to them or to the odd smell she had earlier sniffed earlier.
Elina and Steve, who were now acting as though she were a mother dying from sickness.
Sonia healed Steve, who had a graze on his back, and even Elina, despite having suffered no damage. How could this her unique skill, the one I had designed for her? Simple—she was the support character in our hero party.
"Undying Heal": When her mana is depleted, she can heal four additional times for free each day. However, it might have aftermath later on. If she learns "Revive," she'll be able to bring someone back four times, a crucial skill for the final boss. I concluded the fight scene by imagining a humanoid boss, but I didn't specifically imagine its race.
"So, don't create like that, or you'll end up like me. When you reincarnate, know your last boss and create a countermeasure," I advised, glancing at Sonia. She seemed too pale, so I suggested she be carried by Steve, just in case she complained about walking.
Come to think of it, I crafted them as childhood friends from diverse family backgrounds. Steve was from a humble farming family engaged in business with Elina's family, who were also business-oriented. Meanwhile, Sonia belonged to an extremely wealthy family. Her family was essentially a private government that produced a different type of hero—both defender and explorer. Sonia's family could manage both roles.
And here I was, making a rich person smell my poop—a dream come true, but certainly not in this manner. It wasn't bad, though.
"Hehehehehe-!"
"You! Laughing so strangely! What did you make me smell earlier? What is that?"
Did I laugh?
Sonia face flushed, not just from the wolf's blood but also from something she smelled. If I said something, she might get even angrier. She pointed at me, but I hid behind Steve.
"Hey, hey, calm down and drink this," Elina soothed her, offering her a potion from my bag.
"You drink too!" Steve handed me another one.
"You did well earlier, but it was risky. Please don't do that again!" Elina nodded, in sync with Steve. Was she keeping an eye on me?
Do I look more handsome now? I struck a pose for Elina and flicked my hair. She blushed. What was that?
"Weirdo!" Sonia muttered.u7