El darted through the branches when a furious roar erupted just a few meters behind him, followed by heavy thuds that grew closer. A massive shadow descended upon the branch he had just vacated, splintering it and damaging the tree itself. But he had already transitioned to the ground, sprinting with unrelenting urgency. Adrenaline surged through his veins, fueling his muscles as he pushed himself to the brink of speed. Yet, the shadowy beast matched him stride for stride. In their previous encounter, he had been the hunted, the mere plaything of this relentless creature; now, it was a grave game of survival, as he fought back with his own cunning plans.
Glancing to his right, he caught sight of an open field ahead, realizing it was time to implement the next phase of his strategy. Suddenly, a limb hurtled through the air from his left, aimed at his head. Knowing he couldn't evade it, he braced himself, letting the strike impact his back, knocking the breath from his lungs and sending him crashing into a tree. Yet, he refused to remain down, pressing on as his essence mended the bruises. This brutal cycle repeated twice more, each hit a strain on his resolve, but he persisted, never allowing the shadow to box him in. Soon, he burst into the open field, mostly free from the lethal flowers, where instinct briefly halted the monster. It scanned the barren expanse, its prey seemingly unharmed post-pursuit, and resumed the chase, unaware it had taken the bait without hesitation.
Despite the emptiness of the field, El noticed some lingering pollen from the killer flowers swirling about—this was their birthplace. The tendrils attempted to ensnare him, but his healing essence burnt them away. The monster, however, was not so fortunate; the pollen latched onto it, swiftly sprouting parasitic roots. The creature's grotesque visage twisted into an unsettling mixture of frown and grin as it felt the agony, its fear palpable. But as it locked eyes on El, still sprinting as if untouched, its hatred surged. It believed El to be the source of its pain and was now determined to eliminate him at any cost. Ironically, that very hatred fed into El's scheme; he wanted nothing more than for it to be consumed by its own fervor, knowing it would ultimately become its own undoing.
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El dashed toward his cave, the pathway well-marked and familiar, while the shadow creature, consumed by its own fury and malice, cared little for the terrain—it only yearned for his demise. In its mind, nothing in this forest could pose a challenge, especially the thing it was pursuing. In a straightforward encounter, that might have held true, but this situation was destined to unfold differently, and the creature would soon find it rather displeasing.
El had deliberated extensively on his strategy and concluded that luring the monster to his cave for a direct confrontation would spell his doom before he could inflict any real damage. After much thought, he devised an audacious plan: he aimed to poison the creature gradually as they traversed the path to his refuge. With this in mind, he scattered the fine mist of the killer flower pollen into the air—a mist that would be attracted anything with essence energy. The shadow monster, vulnerable as it was, became increasingly ensnared, slowly losing both its strength and mental acuity. By the time they reached the cave, it had already succumbed to the parasite's grasp, having lost nearly half of its essence, its form visibly deteriorating. Yet El, too, bore his own burdens—fatigue gnawed at him, his lungs ached, and his body trembled from exhaustion, though he was still in a far better state than the shadow being.
Upon entering the narrow mouth of the cave, he hurried to the corner where his prepared supplies lay. Seizing the wrapped cloth containing the powdered flower and gripping a wooden spear, he positioned himself at the cave's center, awaiting the intruder. It wasn't long before a massive figure obscured the entrance, too large to enter easily, prompting the creature to awkwardly attempt to squeeze through. With its elongated arm reaching in, El refused to let it pass unchallenged; he lunged forward, driving the pollen-coated spear into its fur and skin. The already compromised creature, further invaded by the parasite, found its rage escalating, and it pushed deeper into the cave, half of its form engulfing the space.
This was El's desired outcome—he needed the monster within reach to strike. When the creature fully entered and locked its gaze on him, it sensed the predator's imminent demise and unleashed its fury, raising its arms to the cave roof before crashing them down in a violent attempt to annihilate him. In that fleeting moment, as it bore down on him, a chill gripped its features, and something was hurled into its gaping maw. Acting subconsciously, the monster accepted the object, a grave error that unleashed an agonizing jolt through its corrupted mind. The pollen bundle had been introduced directly into its mouth, swiftly taking root in its brain and spreading chaos.
Seizing the moment, El readied himself, cognizant of the injuries he had sustained in the creature's last attack, now healed but not without a consequence;his essence energy was now but a wisp,but that did not stop him,he readjusted his grip on the wooden spear, bridged the gap between them, and leaped, thrusting the spear's tip into the creature's eye with minimal resistance. The monster convulsed violently, thrashing against the cave walls in a desperate effort to dislodge him, yet El clung tenaciously. Gradually, the thrashing subsided, and the creature fell lifelessly, devoid of pulse.
To confirm its demise, a neutral voice echoed in his mind:
[You have slain a Dread Monster: Vile ape]
[You have received an Artifact and a runestone]
[You have gained access to leave this time zone for the next].
El lingered in silence, absorbing the voice's revelation, but as it faded, he surrendered to the exhaustion that washed over him, the adrenaline propelling him forward finally dissipating.He was more than just tired—words couldn't do justice to his exhaustion. Without even attempting to get comfortable, he succumbed to sleep in an instant. He slumbered for an astonishing 26 hours, the longest rest he had taken since entering this trial.
Upon awakening, unlike the previous time when he felt euphoric and invigorated, he sensed a profound freedom from the relentless pursuit of death, the injuries, and all the chaos—he finally felt liberated. Reflecting on the events that had unfolded, he now understood why he had been dead–on hunting the shadow monster—or the vile ape, as it was referred to in the runes. His fatigue had been building since the beginning, but he had buried it deep within. The encounter with the vile ape had been the final straw that shattered his restraint; it was the perfect adversary—powerful enough to demand his serious planning yet not lethal enough to render his plans utterly useless. With that monster defeated, a wave of liberation washed over him, and his vision momentarily cleared.
Sitting down, he contemplated the final phase of his plan that needed completion before he could leave this zone but for now,he had to see what he had gained from the demise of the monster. Channeling his thoughts, he summoned his rune of self, and the interface etched with runes materialized before him:
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RUNE OF SELF
[Name]: Azazel
[Rank]: Mundane
[Bloodline]: King's Eye
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[Runes]:-
[Artifacts]: 2
(Essence arrow)
(Runestone)
[Titles]:-
[Affiliation]:-
[Quests]: 1
{Transverse straight through the time plate zones to reach the temple of time}.
[Binding Seals]: - 1
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