Chapter 4: Battle II
'Is this how I'm going to die again?'
Luke's chest heaved as he darted through the dense forest, the crimson orb of energy chasing him relentlessly. Sweat dripped down his face, mixing with the dirt smeared across his cheeks. Every breath felt like fire in his lungs.
"This is just bullshit!"
At least he died instantly in his previous life. Here, it was just pure torture.
Luke cursed inwardly at the gods for granting him such a pathetic second life. They should have just sent him to heaven instead.
'Help me, God!' He screamed inwardly.
As if the universe had heard his bitter thoughts, something massive emerged in his path—a wild boar, its colossal frame almost blocking the moonlight filtering through the trees.
The creature was enormous, its dark-purple fur bristling like thick armor. Its tusks curved inward, forming deadly hooks, and its half-lidded eyes glinted with a faint orange hue.
For a moment, Luke felt as insignificant as an ant before this mountainous beast. Yet, hope flickered in his chest.
The boar slumbered peacefully beneath a gnarled tree, its slow breaths rumbling like distant thunder. Luckily, Luke recalled from his fragmented memories that boars in this world had poor hearing and sight. Otherwise, it might have already crushed him into the dirt.
Luke gritted his teeth and sprinted toward the boar with every ounce of strength he had left. The ball was nearly a meter away from him, chasing him down.
Luke felt a chilling aura from behind, prompting him to increase his speed.
'Almost there!'
He arrived inches away from the boar and suddenly, jumped above, expecting the ball to hit the boar.
Shutting his ears tightly using his hands, he braced for a massive bang.
…
Nothing.
"What the—"
A chill ran down his spine. He turned and froze.
The crimson orb hovered just behind him, pulsing with malevolence.
"NOOO!!" A loud scream echoed through the trees, alerting the wild boar beneath him.
The red ball was inches away from him as Luke swiftly landed on the ground and dashed away. He circled the boar, hoping to dodge the ball behind him.
The boar sensing a presence slowly opened its eyes. It let out a long yawn, opening its maws widely, wide enough for an adult man to hide in.
Chance!
Without a second thought, Luke bolted forward and darted through the boar's open mouth. The beast blinked lazily as he emerged from the other side, gasping for air.
'Please work!'
He murmured exchanging glances between the ball and the boar.
The red ball also entered the boar's maws, following closely behind Luke, hot on his trail.
Luke's lips curled up into a massive grin.
Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth.
"AAHHHHH!!"
A loud scream escaped his jaws, reverberating through the massive forest. The boar hearing the noise felt startled and hurriedly closed its mouth.
Luke's smile widened, gazing at the red ball trapped inside the boar's mouth.
He didn't wait to see what would happen next. He dashed for the cover of a massive tree trunk, pressing his back against the bark as his golden eyes watched the scene unfold.
The boar snorted, its cheeks puffing up comically.
BOOM!
A muffled explosion sounded from within the beast, sending a plume of smoke gushing from its nostrils.
Luke's heart raced, anticipation clawing at his nerves. But instead of collapsing, the boar simply opened its mouth, releasing a huff of smoke before settling back down with a satisfied grunt.
It yawned once more, scratched its ear with a hoof, and resumed its nap as though nothing had happened.
Luke stared in disbelief, his jaw slack.
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, sliding down to sit on the forest floor. His chest heaved with a mix of exhaustion and disbelief.
Despite the absurdity of the situation, a small laugh bubbled up from his throat.
"Guess I owe you one, big guy," he whispered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
rustle
A faint rustle echoed from a nearby bush, dragging Luke's attention. He squinted his eyes, sensing a familiar presence approaching him.
It was the bloodeye wolf, rushing rapidly toward the explosion's location.
grr
It growled softly upon reaching the location, feeling the overwhelming presence of the wild boar. Its crimson eyes darted around, searching for Luke's body.
Suddenly, its ears twitched lightly, sensing faint footsteps from the nearby tree.
swish
It lunged forward, crashing towards the tree with its sharp claws. The injuries within its body had drastically decreased its stamina and attack power. Even its sharp senses had deteriorated, causing it to make a simple mistake.
"Surprise, Motherfucker!!"
Suddenly, a loud voice startled the wolf, causing it to hastily turn back.
pak
A fist landed right on its face, causing its nostrils to spike up. Luke followed up with a powerful kick, slamming it on the wolf's injuries.
A pitiful howl echoed through the forest as the wolf whimpered back, distancing itself from Luke.
Luke laughed, getting mused by the wolf's reaction. He had already concluded that it was on its deathbed.
The injuries around it were severe, its senses had become increasingly dull, stamina fully depleted and movements became slow as hell.
It was struggling pitifully, using every ounce of its strength to properly stand up.
"Just die."
Luke lunged forward intending to finish the wolf's life when suddenly…
howl
howl
A series of howling resounded within his ears, breaking the silence.
His body froze up, staring at the wolf before him with wide eyes. He noticed a slight grin on its face as realization dawned on him.
"I'm fucked."
His body felt heavy as he slumped down on the ground with a downcast, lifeless expression.
The wolf snickered loudly, relishing Luke's expression. Despite being on the deathbed, it still managed to outplay him.
An uncontrollable anger surged from within Luke's body after feeling tricked by a mere beast.
"BASTARD!" He picked up a stone and hurled it toward the wolf, launching it with powerful momentum.
Zzz
Lightning sparks surrounded Luke's body like body armor, latching itself on the stone. He had finally managed to materialize the mana externally, using his anger as a medium. Like an incarnation of the thunder god, he stood above the bloodeye wolf's dead body.
"What's the point now?" He vacantly muttered, sensing the massive presence closing on around him.
He was surrounded by a pack of bloodeye wolves, not cubs but fully grown adults. Each one capable of destroying cities alone.
Leaning his back on the tree's rough bark, he closed his eyes and patiently awaited his death.
He had already died once so death wasn't scary to him anymore and, it was pointless to struggle against these wolves.
Even with his newfound powers, the damage he could provide against them was negligible.
So, he accepted his fate and calmly awaited his death.
"Well, this was a waste of time."
Chuckling lightly, he browsed through the foreign memories within his mind.
"Sorry mate, It seemed that your mother was fated to die. Neither you nor me could save her."