Forest, Cave.
Evelyn and Ren's clones were currently in front of a bonfire. Even though her life was no longer in danger, anxiety still enveloped her heart.
Ren was being chased by a 3-star Winged Lion, so her heart could not calm because he was in a life-and-death situation.
"Calm down. The real us won't die easily." The first clone spoke abruptly.
"That's right. We are candidates to be the Ruler in our previous lif-" the second clone stopped his words halfway and corrected it. "Ehm. I mean, the real us is an Aeris, so I'm sure he won't die."
"Un, un." The first clone nodded his head twice.
Actually, they were not sure whether Ren could escape from the Winged Lion or not. They said this because they wanted to calm her down.
However, their efforts were in vain.
Evelyn was still worried.
Ren was no match for the Winged Lion, so their words could not calm her down.
'Ren, please stay alive until tomorrow.'
She was a 3-star mage, so she could save him after her power returned.
As Evelyn was worried about his safety, Ren was luring the Winged Lion to a faraway place.
He had promised to protect Evelyn from any magical beasts and bad people, so he was willing to put himself in danger because he was a man of his word.
[Ding! Nothing is impossible in this world. As long as one has a strong determination, he will be able to overcome all obstacles. Survive the rampage of the Winged Lion and Host will be rewarded with 230 points, 300 system exp and one random card.]
Even though the reward was amazing, Ren did not smile like usual because he was in a dangerous situation.
'This lion is really fast! I've been using the Lightning Movement skill, yet he doesn't fall behind.'
He returned his attention to the Winged Lion after reading the quest.
[It's a Winged Lion, so it's normal, Host.]
His system said Winged Lions were much faster than normal Lions because they could use their wings to increase their speed.
They even could fly using their wings, allowing them to hunt flying magical beasts like birds or something along these lines.
[If it was not a Winged Lion, it would have lost track of you, Host. It could be said you are unlucky this time.]
Even though the Winged Lion did not fall behind, it would never be able to catch him as long as he used the Lightning Movement skill.
'Should I fight it?'
A crazy idea popped up in his mind.
[Host, the system advises you not to have any funny ideas.]
'I don't have unlimited spiritual energy, so the Winged Lion will catch me once my energy is depleted. Isn't fighting a better option than continuing to run like this?'
He could not use the Lightning Movement skill forever because his Warrior class was only at Elite rank.
[The System doesn't doubt your abilities, but your body is too weak to fight the Winged Lion, Host.]
His system said one attack from the Winged Lion was enough to severely injure him.
There was even a high chance that he would die from just one attack, so the system suggested he change his mind.
'Then isn't it fine if I can dodge all of his attacks?'
With his fighting experience, it was not impossible to avoid the Winged Lion's attacks.
[But, it's still dangerous, Host.]
'I'm a candidate to be the Ruler. If I have to die, I prefer to die as a warrior, not as a coward.'
He retrieved his Aether weapon from his space ring.
[Ding! Scan Feature has been turned on.]
'Hmm?'
Ren was startled because he did not ask his system to use the Scan Feature.
'Why did you turn on the Scan Feature?'
He asked curiously in his head.
[Host has decided to fight the Winged Lion, so the system will assist Host in fighting it. With the help of the Scan Feature, Host will have a one percent chance of survival.]
Ren's lips curled up into a smile.
'You are indeed my best partner.'
Even though his system suggested he change his mind earlier, it still supported his decision.
[So, how are you going to fight the Winged Lion, Host? Are you going to use the Moon Secret technique?]
'I've already used up more than half of my energy, so it's not a good idea to use it.'
He decided to fight normally because he knew nothing about the Winged Lion.
What if the Winged Lion could use its flames to protect itself?
What if the Winged Lion flew to the sky when he used his secret technique?
And what if the Winged Lion had a secret technique or magic?
With so many possibilities, the best decision was to fight it normally, not to use his secret technique that consumed a lot of his energy.
Of course, it would be a different story if his energy were still full.
But with his current energy, using the Moon Secret technique was not the best decision.
"Hmm?" the Winged Lion was startled when Ren suddenly stopped running, causing him to stop running as well. "Why did you stop running, kitty? Go and run like a cowardly cat again. This king will play with you until you can't run anymore. Haha."
The corner of Ren's lips twitched.
'It seems like my previous words really hurt his feelings.'
He previously mocked the Winged Lion to protect Evelyn.
He did not expect the Winged Lion to be so offended to the point that he kept calling him kitty.
[Host, lions are proud creatures, so it's normal for him to act like this.]
Of course, Ren knew about this because there were lions in his previous life.
"You are too slow, so it's not fun anymore." Ren tried to get the Winged Lion angry because his survival rate would increase by two percent if the Winged Lion was furious.
However, the Winged Lion was not a stupid beast.
It could tell Ren's intention right away, so it behaved normally as if Ren was not mocking its speed.
"Not fun? So, what game do you want to play now?" the Winged Lion had not met a human in several months, so he wanted to keep playing with Ren.
Ren turned his Aether weapon into a sword. "Fight game."
"Haha." The Winged Lion laughed loudly. "I'm already at 3-star. Are you sure you want to play a fight game with me?"
"Why not?" Ren answered, "I'm also curious about the strength of a 3-star Winged Lion, so isn't this a good time to know about it?"
"You will die because of your curiosity, you know?" the Winged Lion believed Ren would not be able to kill him.
Sure, Ren was faster than him, but Ren was much weaker than him.
"Because you really want to die, then I will give you three options." The Winged Lion spoke and paused for a second before he continued, "Do you want to die by my sharp claw? Do you want to die by my hot fire? Or do you want to die by fangs? Tell me your choice now."
Ren used Ice Clone magic and created four clones.
His mana was still full, so he would also use magic to fight the Winged Lion.
"Winged Lion, no being can know the future. Who knows, maybe you will be the one lying on the ground later, not me." Ren responded.
"Haha." The Winged Lion laughed. "I did not kill you immediately because I wanted to play around with you."
The Winged Lion continued, "But it seems like you mistake it as us being equal. Then, I will show you how terrifying I am."
"Come. Let me test the strength of a 3-star Winged Lion." Ren said without feeling afraid.