Things happened so swiftly that Noah didn't even get time to react. All he sensed was the change in Arthur's mood before he was shoved aside.
Noah was going to curse Arthur as usual, but a deathly aura washed over him, and he felt true fear in his heart. His body trembled as all the courage he usually had slipped away.
His eyes barely caught something dark hitting Arthur before he was thrown away like a broken kite. His eyes widened in shock as his mind finally registered what happened.
"N-No! What?"
However, he still couldn't make sense of it. He had survived the harsh and cruel world of humans, but he had barely stepped into the hell the outside world had become.
This was the first time he felt true fear, robbing him of his rationality. He just sat there, unable to think properly.
All he knew was that he was going to die from a sneak attack, but Arthur sacrificed himself to save him. As he looked at the slumped body of Arthur, confusion, anger, guilt...so many emotions filled his heart.
He couldn't understand why Arthur would do such a thing. Why didn't he just save himself? He just needed to run, as the first target of their foe was Noah, so why did he sacrifice himself?
They had known each other for just a few days, so why?
Unfortunately, there was no one to answer him. Neither did he have time to question, as a dark blade was already coming down at him.
Unfortunately, he wasn't in a state to react. By the time he noticed it, the blade was inches away from his face.
"Is this how I'm going to die? After surviving that hellish life?" Rage filled his mind as his thoughts ran wild. "Am I going to let his sacrifice be in vain? No!"
He didn't know where he got the courage to move his body, but he did. With swift movements, he took out his dagger and parried the dark blade coming at him.
"Agh!"
However, the force behind the blade was too much, and he felt his muscles burning. Without delay, he rolled to the side as he deflected the incoming blade.
After coming to a halt, he finally saw what had attacked them. His blood ran cold as his grip on the dagger began to loosen, despair forming in his mind.
It was a towering insectoid creature with an exoskeleton made of dark, chitinous plates. Its multiple legs ended in sharp, claw-like appendages. Those were the dark blades that had attacked them.
Its mandibles were capable of crushing steel. Its eyes glowed a malevolent red, filled with utter madness, and a green fluid dripped from its mouth.
His whole body shivered in fright as a question appeared in his head, "Can I even survive this?"
As soon as that thought appeared, his grip on the dagger tightened. There was no way to know if he would survive or not. But he wasn't someone who would go down without a fight.
Trying to suppress the despair and fear, Noah looked at the Abyssal Creature, which was also looking at him with hunger-filled eyes.
"I'm sorry, Arthur. But I'll be accompanying you soon!" Noah smiled bitterly, wondering why the insectoid wasn't attacking him. But he had a guess, as he could feel the fear and despair overwhelming him.
Perhaps that was what the creature was after: to weaken his resolve and then devour him slowly. As much as he wanted to prove it wrong, he couldn't.
"Why are you crying like a baby?"
Just then, a familiar playful voice sounded behind him before his body jerked backward and his vision blurred.
His heart raced as his eyes widened in shock. He turned his head and found himself on Arthur's shoulder. Arthur was running while carrying him at an inhuman speed.
"H-How?" He had many questions, but this was the only thing that came out of his mouth.
"What can I say? I'm too awesome to be killed," Arthur laughed and increased his speed even more. All of a sudden, he coughed up some blood but didn't slow down.
If they were in a normal situation, Noah would have argued with him. But for now, he was happy to see him.
"Don't be too happy! That bastard is still after us," Arthur said, spitting foul blood from his mouth.
Sure enough, Arthur was right.
As Noah turned to look behind them, he could see a figure approaching rapidly. He couldn't see it clearly, but there was no mistaking the creature that almost killed him.
He began to think of anything he could do, but nothing came to mind.
On the other hand, Arthur was cursing his luck, 'Goddamnit! How the hell is this guy here? Agh! Why don't you just kill me instead of throwing me into these situations? Damn it!'
The Abyssal Creature hunting them was the same one Arthur had come to hunt, as it was the reason Noah became the chosen one in his previous life.
However, he didn't expect to meet it so soon. Even while hunting, he made sure to stay far away from its territory, so he couldn't understand how the Creature appeared here.
It was the strongest Abyssal Creature in Tier 1, simply because it was the only Abyssal Creature with a skill despite being in Tier 1—not to mention its insanely high physical constitution.
It was the monster Arthur wanted to avoid until he reached Level 9. Because even with all his experience, he doubted he could win against the abomination.
And now, that same Abyssal Creature was after them, and he was only at Level 6. He had barely survived its first attack solely because the creature was focused on Noah.
Even then, he had to use his Abyssal Destroyer to lessen the impact; otherwise, the blow would have caved a hole in his chest.
His body was still in terrible pain, but he had used a technique from Elferia. He knew he would suffer backlash since he wasn't from Elferia, but he didn't care.
They needed to survive; otherwise, even the backlash would mean nothing.
'What to do!?'