Evan was leaning against the cold, crumbling wall of a darkened house, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. The adrenaline from his narrow escape still coursed through his veins, making his hands tremble and his heart race uncontrollably.
' Should I use it? '
He took out the medkit from the dimensional ring and stared at the two remaining potions in it.
' No, I can still manage... I think. '
He decided, snapping the kit shut and returning it to the ring's hidden storage.
Although his body ached with every movement, the injuries he had sustained weren't life-threatening. He believed that with enough rest and careful movement, his body would heal naturally.
Moreover,
' I don't think that I am safe yet. '
Yes, He may have escaped for now but the memory of the beast's ferocity was still fresh, and he knew deep down that it wouldn't let him go so easily.
The beast would hunt him relentlessly, driven by primal instinct and perhaps a thirst for revenge.
He has to kill it or escape to the settlement before it catches up to him.
And he knew that the second one was not an option he would be caught sooner or later.
After a few more moments of rest, Evan pushed himself off the wall, suppressing a wince as pain shot through his battered body. He couldn't afford to stay in one place for too long; lingering increased the risk of being found.
Gritting his teeth, he set off once more, full of determination to survive this crisis.
After traveling around four kilometers towards the north Evan decided to rest here today.
Yes! he decided to travel north instead of west, even after reaching his goal. It was all due to that hideous beast, he had encountered it when he was traveling toward the west. So Evan determined that the best course of action would be to travel in a different direction.
Although this will make his journey a bit longer nothing is more important than surviving.
He didn't encounter any more beasts when traveling here, making these last four kilometers a smooth journey.
' I may be lucky... I better not talk about luck. '
Shaking the unnecessary thoughts away, Evan decided to find a safe place to rest and think about his next course of action.
Fearing that the beast may attack in his sleep, He had to find a place where the beast couldn't enter and attack him even if it wanted to.
And after around thirty minutes Evan found the perfect place.
" This'll do "
He muttered to himself as he looked around.
It was the collapsed house with a narrow pathway barely enough for even him to enter.
Inside there was a small space enclosed from all sides except the entrance.
Knowing that he found the place Evan hastily lit the fire and took out a lot of meat to cook.
Traveling these past 20 days he had gathered a lot of supplies, he didn't lack any water or food.
Especially the food, Evan noticed that time in the dimensional ring seemed still. Even the meat from many days before would remain in perfect condition, no more need for him to go out and kill any beast every two days to get meat.
After letting the meat cook he started pondering what to do next.
" Hmm.... I don't think that I can avoid it for many days. So in the end I have to kill it... But how? "
He started planning about what he could do.
The beast was formidable, its strength and speed far surpassing any adversary he had faced before. Direct confrontation was suicide; he needed to outsmart it.
His thought then drifted towards Nightshade lying in the dimensional ring for many days.
Reaching into the ring once more, he pulled out the sleek, ominous-looking weapon, its dark surface absorbing the firelight. He turned it over in his hands thoughtfully.
" ... I cannot use this without the cost and if I didn't manage to kill it then.... Wait a minute! "
He suddenly had a crazy idea
" Yeah, I think... I can do it like that and then.... I can make it work! "
He made a full plan in under a minute all he needed now was a wire which was not rare in the ruins in fact he could find some in this small room.
And doing that he could control the gun remotely, having no risk of injury.
What if it fails?
He would not be injured so he could always escape!
The potential downside was that he might have to abandon the Nightshade if things went awry, but considering he couldn't wield it effectively under normal circumstances, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
" Better to lose the gun than my life "
He concluded firmly.
It was a do-or-die situation!
So he had to use everything in his arsenal.
With his plan formulated, Evan enjoyed his meal, savoring the hearty flavors that filled his mouth and provided much-needed energy. The warmth of the fire and the satisfaction of a full stomach lulled him into a sense of calm, and before long, exhaustion claimed him, pulling him into a deep, dreamless sleep.
***
It had been two days since he encountered that huge beast and Evan was full on guard. Looking around the surroundings for even a slight disturbance.
Looking around, his senses were overwhelmed by the scent of the fresh blood. Reaching the location he looked at the almost same scene that he had witnessed two days ago. But there was something different.
A large three-meter monster whose body was covered in some wounds was having a feast on the corpse of three beasts lying around it.
' There you are, you bastard! '
Realizing that the beast hadn't noticed him, Evan suddenly ran towards the nearby house in order to prepare something.
A few minutes later, Evan stood at the same location looking at the beast.
Suddenly, the beast turned towards him as if sensing his gaze. Its eyes turned red with anger, it seemed like it found the insect it had been looking for the past two days.
* Hooooowwwwwl *
It suddenly howled and started running towards Evan standing around a hundred meters away.
Evan didn't panic like the first time, taking his sword out he started moving in a certain direction, smiling like crazy
" Come on beast, it's time for you to rest in peace. "
Yes, this time it was different, this time.... he was prepared.