Andrew flinched, his racing pulse throbbing in his ears as adrenaline fired madly in his system.
Tension infused his muscles as he commenced a staring match with the ferocious rank-one blood-eyed wolf. It growled in response, its crimson eyes flashing with a menacing light as it rose from the soaked ground with a bestial majesty.
Shaking the water off its hide, the blood-eyed wolf slowly ambled forward, its colossal size that could rival a small one-roomed house becoming more apparent to Andrew. He swallowed hard and stepped back, only to see the creature assume an aggressive pose.
'Shit just got real!'
Andrew knew that he was in trouble. But he didn't turn away from the enormous creature. He looked it in the eye while growling back with equal ferocity.
He was obviously bluffing.
He wasn't stupid enough to fight a rank-one magical beast that could rival a seasoned rank-one sorcerer with his meager apprentice powers. But he had to remain bold and courageous. He couldn't show any sign of cowardice as the creature would regard that as a weakness and swiftly attack him. That was how beasts behaved.
The tension in the air was sky-high, and time seemed to have come to a halt. Man and the magical creature went through a fierce staring match. The rain battered them with an ever-constant ferocity as they observed and eyed one another, looking for any possible openings that could allow them to launch the first attack.
The standoff continued for a few seconds until Andrew decided to act. His intention moved as he instantly constructed a temporally level 0 spell model within his mind. He followed that up with a simple wave of his arm to cast the [accumulate mist] spell and send it toward the blood-eyed wolf.
The level 0 [accumulate mist] wasn't anything spectacular. It was just an uncomplicated elementary gimmick of sorcery that worked by rapidly cooling down the warmer moisture in the air and causing it to change from invisible gas to tiny visible water droplets suspended in the atmosphere. These were what formed the visible mist.
The [accumulate mist] spell had no damage functionality. But if used ingeniously, it could throw off opponents due to its obscuring effects. It could institute a thick and blinding mist in the air, the exact phenomenon Andrew wanted in order to create the conditions for his escape.
[Accumulate mist!] [Accumulate mist!]
Andrew possessed ample experience from his past life and cast the spell thrice in less than a second. The weather worked in his favor, and a thick mist swiftly enveloped an area of about ten meters around him.
The visibility hit rock bottom in the forest clearing beside the stream as the blood-eyed wolf growled menacingly. Of course, Andrew didn't dare wait to see whether the spell had really blinded the rank-one creature.
He wasn't that stupid. He also wasn't in the habit of courting death unnecessarily.
His hands clenched. He swiftly turned on his heel and took off into the distance.
His lightning-fast spell casting developed in his previous life worked like a charm as he sprinted like a specter through the forest. He constructed another spell model within his mind, prompting the level 0 [cat's agility] sorcery to cover his body.
A sensation of weightlessness emerged within him, and he felt as light as a feather on his feet. His over-the-limit agility exploded, and he cut through the rain, his boots barely trampling any twigs on the forest floor due to the effect of the agility-boosting spell.
His forward momentum forced his hood off his head, causing the unforgiving downpour to drench his hair as he ran for dear life. He narrowed his eyes as the sharp wind and water droplets peppered his face.
Pushing himself to ignore the weather, he continued racing along the stream and toward the direction of the inheritance ground.
Behind him, he could hear the enraged rank-one blood-eyed wolf snarling fiercely. It relentlessly chased after him, hoping to tear him apart after he tricked it and obscured its vision with the mist spell. He was sure of that 'very' fact as his instincts had never stopped screaming.
But what of it? He was confident in his over-the-limit agility boosted by the agility spell. He ignored the creature as his strides ate up yards of space as if his ass was on fire.
The forest scenery flashed by within his vision as the rain continued. Droplets of moisture dropped endlessly from the sky, striking the canopies and dripping through the leaves. They then sprinkled onto the undergrowth and damp forest floor like spray water from a gardener's hose.
The weather was that ruthless. But Andrew liked it just fine. He was more thankful for the heavy rain since it had allowed him to avoid most of the fierce creatures in the forest.
Of course, the exception was the blood-eyed wolf. It probably possessed a high-level stealth ability that had hidden its aura from Andrew's level 0 [detect life] spell. He had arrived on its doorstep unknowingly, and the damn creature was now chasing him with persistent stubbornness.
'I should be there about now.' The thought passed through Andrew's head as sharp, jagged rocks forming a cliff appeared within his vision.
His speed had worked like a charm, and he had repeatedly escaped the ferocious clutches of the blood-eyed wolf while also watching out for other beasts in the forest.
At one point, he had even almost stepped into the territory of a rank-two giant rock python. Fortunately, his instincts hadn't betrayed him, and he had avoided the danger by skirting around the powerful snake-type creature. Of course, the python also didn't chase him, and that's why he could escape the calamity.
Andrew couldn't comprehend how long had passed as he ran away from the blood-eyed wolf. Was it forty minutes or an hour? He couldn't answer the damn question. He only knew that his stamina, mentality reserves, and mana were about to hit rock bottom after he repeatedly cast the cat's agility spell on himself.
Then, there was the depressing matter of the blood-eyed wolf never giving up its chase. He was faster than it due to his over-the-limit agility. But it seemed to have decided on a battle of endurance with him. With a glance over his shoulder, he could see its silhouette racing between the trees as it stalked him relentlessly.
'It's great that I have finally arrived.' Andrew exhaled with relief after he ascended the rocks ending into the cliff.
According to the assassins' memories, the inheritance ground left by the ancient coven of sorcerers was on the other side within the pool below it. He had to jump first before accessing its entrance portal.
He turned back in time to see the enormous wolf stride out of the trees and step into the clearing before the cliff. It halted a distance away as its blood-red eyes stared fixedly at him with an intelligent and cunning glint.
He didn't know why. But he felt the creature was using its shrewd gaze to communicate words along the lines of, "Pitiful loser! Where will you run to now?"
Andrew smiled in response without saying any needless words. Taking a deep breath, he stepped back and brazenly jumped into the seemingly bottomless chasm beyond the cliff.
He heard the angry growls of the blood-eyed wolf as gravity acted on his body. He braced himself and descended several dozen meters before plunging into a pool with a splash.
He controlled his instincts and held his breath as the cold water in the pool chilled him and cleared his senses. His downward motion came to a halt after a few meters. He oriented himself and swam upward before emerging on the surface.
"I guess that wolf has finally given up." Sighing with relief, he pushed the locks of his wet hair behind his ears and glanced around.
The illumination wasn't that impressive deep down the chasm. Massive tree canopies and rock formations shielded the small pool on both sides, with only a little light and rain able to trickle in from the top of the cliffs. Moreover, the thick fog within the place hindered visibility and perception to a bare minimum.
Andrew, though, could still make out a few shapes, including an entrance to the cave on the other side of the pool. It was the same entry point that he had seen within the memories of the assassins. It was the same one leading to the inheritance ground left by the ancient coven of sorcerers.
'I don't know whether dangerous creatures exist in this pool,' he thought while suppressing a shiver. 'I should act and enter the inheritance ground before anything unexpected happens.'
Andrew kicked his legs and swarm towards the other side of the pool. He reached it in seconds and got out of the water.
He took a minute to dry himself and change into a fresh and dry sorcerer's robe. Then, after summoning his short sword from his storage ring, he marched forward and walked through the cave entrance.