Arthur ran and ran, carrying Noah on his shoulders. He could have put him down, but he knew Noah's speed would be slower than his. He was using a forbidden technique to increase all his stats, after all. His speed was even higher than Noah's, but the Abyssal Creature was still after them, catching up to them.
But he kept his head cool.
His emerald green eyes scanned the surroundings as he tried his best not to trip on fallen trees, their roots, or vines. There was simply so much stuff he couldn't avoid.
But he did.
Even with blood coating his eyes, he still dodged everything and kept his distance from the Abyssal Creature.
'Hmm, what to do?'
His mind raced as he tried to find a solution to his situation, but nothing came to his mind. Neither he nor Noah was strong enough to face it or even stall it.
One blow was all it would take to kill them.
They couldn't even run because it was nearly impossible. The bastard was just too fast and was already catching up. Not to mention, Arthur could feel his consciousness slipping away as the fatigue of using the forbidden technique overwhelmed his body.
But even with all of this, the thought of abandoning Noah didn't cross his mind. Not even once. He didn't get a second chance just to live the same way he lived previously.
As his mind wandered, trying to think of any solution, he remembered that Noah had ventured into this territory more than he had and knew it far better.
His eyes lit up as an idea popped into his mind.
After jumping over a fallen trunk of a dead tree, Arthur asked, his voice a little hoarse, "Do you know if there are any big bodies of water nearby?"
They had occasionally found some small streams, which were fortunately not affected by the corruption—not much, at least. But they wouldn't work for the plan he had in mind.
Noah, who was also thinking of solutions, frowned at the strange question. However, he still answered quickly as he had trust in Arthur's competency. "There is a small lake."
"Goddamn! Where is it?" Arthur grew excited and increased his speed even more, straining his muscles, which caused blood to leak out from his bare flesh.
Noah quickly assessed their surroundings to get a rough idea of their location, then said, "Northwest, around two hundred meters away."
"Good!" Arthur was incredibly happy to hear that as he was barely sustaining his consciousness. The burden of using the forbidden technique was too much for his soul to bear.
Seeing the change in his speed, Noah felt something was wrong with him and gripped his dagger even tighter.
His gaze followed the insectoid, not letting it away for even a single second. It was just too agile, and Noah didn't want to get sneak attacked again.
'What even is this? What kind of monstrosity is this?' Noah couldn't understand, and honestly, he didn't want to know.
He just wanted to survive this ordeal, like he always did.
As they neared the lake, Noah noticed Arthur's speed decreasing. Bells of alarm rang in his head as he looked at the insectoid getting closer and closer.
Its dark blade-like legs shone in the daylight. Green saliva left a trail behind as the maddened eyes looked hungrily at the two humans.
"Want to switch?" Noah offered, as he felt the decrease in speed once again. With every second, Arthur's speed was decreasing and the enemy was getting nearer.
Arthur answered between his heavy breaths, "In the time we would switch, that bastard would eat us alive. Literally!"
He felt Noah's body shivering and smiled.
Seconds passed, filled with dread, despair, and a little hope that they would make it out alive. Nevertheless, that small hope was fading away as Noah looked at the Abyssal Creature only a few meters away from them.
He could feel his chest getting heavy as the fear of death once again returned. Gritting his teeth, he cursed, 'Fuck! I am going to survive this. I won't die like this!'
His eyes found the resolve once again as he looked at the Abyssal Creature with determination burning in his eyes.
Arthur's speed was really slow now, so he was ready to fight, or at least stall until Arthur did whatever he planned to do. He always had plans; Noah knew from the experience of a few days.
"Hey! Can you do one thing for me?" Arthur asked, his voice incredibly low and filled with exhaustion.
"Just speak!" Noah said, still looking at the Abyssal Creature and following its every movement.
"Let's bait that guy, and you take a hit from it. Also, make sure it doesn't touch your skin, though," Arthur said, and continued to run forward where he could already see a large body of water.
Noah didn't ask any questions and simply patted Arthur's back, showing his intentions. He didn't need more explanation to understand what Arthur was trying to do.
So, he got to work and observed the insectoid even more. After some time, when he felt that the Abyssal Creature was close enough, he shook his body slightly as Arthur's posture suddenly went astray.
Seeing the opportunity, the Abyssal Creature pushed itself forward and brought down its blade-like legs.
It was fast—too fast for a Novice Rank Sentinel to react—but Noah had been observing its movements and knew where it would strike.
Taking a gamble, he raised the dagger and barely managed to block the attack. Blades clashed against each other, sending sparks flying.
The impact was huge, and the two of them were pushed forward, toward the large body of water.
With a splash, Arthur's body dropped into the lake, with Noah following right behind. However, Noah had not taken his eyes off the Abyssal Creature even in such a situation.
And it helped him immensely.
As he looked at the Abyssal Creature, the insectoid also glared back at him and his falling body. Just then, the creature did something crazy and insane Noah didn't expect it to do.
The Abyssal Creature waved its leg forward at full speed, causing the dark blade-like leg to cut from between. The blade itself hurled toward Noah, and it was clear it would strike him before he could touch the water's surface.
"I'm dead!"