Harry had no idea how far he was from the starting point or how many turns he had taken to evade the beast.
He thanked his fate that he hadn't encountered any other beasts along the way. Perhaps it was because they sensed he was already the prey of a powerful predator, or maybe it was due to the heavy red mist. He didn't know.
Now, on the verge of passing out, he had no hope of survival, and the same could be said for the beast. The creature had crashed into many trees due to its large size, resulting in numerous cuts and wounds all over its body.
Harry's mind wasn't ready to give up, but his body started to. Just as he was about to break, he saw a big tree with a hole just large enough for an average human to pass through.
An idea came to his mind. He mustered all his strength, moved close to the tree, and jumped through the hole.
The beast, disoriented from its wounds, tried to grab Harry through the hole but got stuck midway.
The beast used all its force to free itself but couldn't.
"Hahaha... Finally got you. You want to kill me? Come, come kill me, I am here," Harry said in a breaking voice with several pauses.
The beast tried once more to free itself and was partially successful. Now, only a quarter of its body was stuck, and its two paws were free to attack, though it couldn't reach Harry, who stood a little further away.
Seeing this, Harry's heart started pounding. He drew his sword, knowing this was his only chance.
He jumped as high as he could and used all his strength to pierce the beast's head.
But His body wasn't fully under his control, so he unintentionally got too close to the beast. Simultaneously, the beast's claws pierced his stomach.
Harry could hear several notifications in his system, but only one thought ran through his mind: 'Is this the end? I am unable to keep my promise to my mother. No... I don't want to die.' With this thought, Harry became unconscious, and his body fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, when Harry was leading the beast into the forest, Tyler made the first move and started running after them.
"Hey, stop! You are no match for the beast. If you follow them, you will put Harry in more danger," Liam said while wiping blood from his mouth.
"But we can't just wait for Harry to die," Meru said, tears streaming down her face. Seeing the current scene, reality hit her. Power comes with danger. She clenched her fists, thinking, 'If only I had enough power to save those close to me. I failed.'
"He ran into the forest to save us. If we follow him, it will make his efforts in vain," Liam convinced the others.
Tyler and Meru halted their steps. "Let's wait for the elders to come. They will surely save Harry. Nothing will happen to him. You know he is more powerful than me," Liam reassured them.
Soon, they saw several figures in white robes approaching.
"Elder, please save Harry! He has gone into the forest, and it's following him," Meru said, panicking.
"I can sense him going deeper into the forest," another elder said, using a technique to track them.
"What? He's still alive? How is that possible? He was only at level 4, and that beast... I'm certain it was a 'deviant three-tailed lion.' Although it's a strength-based beast, its speed is comparable to an 8th level of Foundation Building," another elder realized.
"What are you talking about? Let's save him first, then discuss how he managed to run faster than the beast," Tyler said, pointing his dagger at the elders.
"But it will be hard. He has gone too deep into the forest. If we follow him, we might be in danger. For now, let's follow his tracks," the elder said, starting to run deeper into the forest.
The other elders followed closely but stopped after five minutes.
"Oh shit... he is too deep into the forest, and this red mist blocks my technique. I can't locate him. Let's go back; we have no choice until he returns to an area with less mist so I can relocate him," the elder explained.
The other elders understood because if they had a way to locate people deep in the forest, they would have found the reason for the missing people.
They came out of the forest. Liam was taken back for treatment, but Tyler and Meru waited. One of the elders brought Blake and his friends.
"What happened? Where is Harry?" Meru asked, looking behind the elders.
The elders explained that they couldn't locate Harry.
Meru started crying while Tyler stared at Blake and his friends. Blake didn't say anything, understanding how Tyler felt, and kept his head down.
"Don't worry, he is still alive. I can detect that much. If he comes out to an area with less mist, we will be able to save him," the leader assured them.
After some time, they received good news about Liam's condition. He was safe, with only minor internal injuries, and would recover in a week.
On the other side, Liam was in a daze, worried about Harry. 'How will I face his mom if he doesn't come back? Tomorrow is the day when Harry's mom will come.
I could delay it, but what if he never comes back? Why did I agree to compete in the Mist Forest, knowing how dangerous it is? It's all my fault,' Liam thought, throwing his hand in the air.
Two hours passed, and suddenly, the elder who was detecting Harry, stood up and started looking into the forest, shaking his head.
"What happened? Did Harry come back?" Meru asked, her eyes red from crying.
The elder shook his head and said, "He is no more. I can't sense him."
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