The ground erupted behind him, earthen spikes spearing upward with murderous intent. He screamed and laughed like a madman, twisting and leaping by sheer instinct, surviving by the skin of his teeth.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck…!” he spat between ragged breaths, lungs and muscles burning from the nonstop sprint. Then he roared, “Iron Lungs!”
Air flooded his chest, his breathing steadied, and the agony dulled just enough to keep moving.
*** Skill Unlocked: Dash Lv. 1 (Active) ***
When used, instantly move a short distance in a chosen direction.
Cooldown: 2 Minutes
Mana Cost: 30 Mana
“Dash, dash, dash!” Corvin bellowed as soon as he read the description. A surge of force detonated across his body, hurling him five meters forward.
“Oho! Now to wait two minutes…” He groaned, glancing back. The monstrous reptile was still coming, toppling smaller trees like twigs, a titan in pursuit.
Corvin scanned the terrain, desperate for any escape route. Fighting wasn’t an option this time.
Then his ears twitched. Running water.
“Let’s go, Nera, you deadweight!” he snarled, veering east toward the sound. Nera remained limp, fear locking her in place. Corvin chuckled darkly and pushed harder, weaving through colossal trunks as the drake thundered behind, tearing the forest apart.
***
He burned through Iron Lungs and Dash every time they came off cooldown, the frantic overuse leveling them up just enough to matter.
Twenty minutes, or an eternity, later, his flight ended at a sheer cliff crowned by a roaring waterfall.
“So, it’s either get trampled or die from jumping into the unknown.” He set Nera down, gently gripping her head, and stared into her golden eyes.
“Dear, wake up. Time to go work in the fields, okay?” His voice cracked with manic laughter. “We jump. Hope you can swim. Now wake the fuck up!”
He shook her hard, pointing at the abyss below. Finally, his rambling pierced the fog. Nera hissed and nodded.
Corvin hugged her tight and leapt just as the drake’s roar shattered the cliff, sending stone cascading into the void behind them.
***
The two plunged into the running depths of the river.
Corvin twisted mid-fall, using his body as a shield to protect Nera from the impact. The water hit like a stone. Pain exploded through his chest as he coughed a mouthful of blood, crimson blooming in the swirling current.
Dash!
Mana surged, propelling him forward just as the cliff above gave way.
BOOM!
The collapsing rock slammed into the riverbed, sending shockwaves through the water, tossing Corvin headfirst. A massive boulder loomed ahead, too late to dodge.
CRACK!
Bone met stone. His face smashed against the moss-covered rock, the sickening sound of breaking cartilage echoing in the water. Nera was thrown free as Corvin’s body went limp, consciousness snuffed out in an instant.
She froze, body trembling as vibrations rippled through the water, his body screaming injury without words. Then instinct took over. Nera darted after him, slicing through the current as his form drifted away like a corpse.
Above, the drake roared. Earthen spikes rained down, stabbing into the river like spears of death. Nera twisted and dove, shielding Corvin with her own body, wrapping around him in a desperate embrace.
For what felt like forever, the river carried them. Finally, Nera’s tail snagged an overhanging branch. With a surge of strength, she dragged them both onto the muddy bank.
Corvin lay sprawled on the wet grass, blood mixing with river water. Nera coiled tightly around him, her golden eyes fixed on his broken face, hoping that he would wake.
***
An hour passed before Corvin stirred.
His eyes cracked open, vision swimming in a haze of pain. A piercing ring filled his ears, and every muscle screamed in protest. He felt the cold weight of Nera’s body wrapped protectively around him, her body slick against his torn clothes.
He tried to speak, only for his lungs to convulse, spewing river water in choking gulps.
A glowing pop-up flickered before his eyes:
[HP: 101 / 1,078] [MP: 300 / 300]
Oh, damn… Looks like I walked hand in hand with Lady Death again.
Corvin groaned, forcing himself upright. His fingers brushed Nera’s scales as he whispered, “Good girl…”
She loosened her grip immediately, letting him sit fully. Her golden eyes locked on his bloodied face.
Corvin touched his jaw and winced. Broken nose. Missing teeth. Cracked jawbone.
He sighed. Well… I’ve been through worse with Isolde and the rest.
From his inventory, he pulled out the healing potions, eight in total, and began chugging them one by one, grimacing at the bitter taste.
[+800 HP Restored]
His nose straightened, teeth regrew, and bruises faded. Only the fractured jaw lingered, throbbing with every breath.
Next came the apples. He tossed a few to Nera, who seemed far better off than him, and chewed the rest through waves of agony. Each bite sent tears stinging his eyes.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Finally, after eating and resting, his health bar ticked back to full. His body felt whole again.
“Well… almost out of apples, and barely a few more healing potions.” He slammed a fist into the damp earth, frustration boiling. His inventory screen mocked him.
[Recovery Apple (Uncommon) x10]
Turning to Nera, he pulled her close. “Thank you. You saved my life. I’ll call it payback for that hobgoblin ambush.”
He smiled, but the smile hurt. Deep down, it burned to be saved again. All his life, someone else had to pull him from the jaws of death. Even now, after clawing for strength, he still felt useless.
A heavy weight settled in his gut. Damn this feeling… Always reminds me of Boridus’s punch the day we met.
He checked his status screen. A new line caught his eye.
Resistance: Holy Lv. 4, Darkness Lv. 6, Lightning Lv. 3, Poison Lv. 4, Fire Lv. 2, Stabbing Lv. 1, Bludgeoning Lv. 2
He chuckled bitterly. “Guess smashing into rocks counts as training.”
Nera slithered closer, her head resting on his lap. Corvin smiled and stroked her slick scales. She hissed softly, content.
“Oho, you gained Swimming skill. Good job!” Pride flickered in his voice. He was truly proud of this hatchling of his, whose will to survive and help him was beyond anything he had ever expected.
***
After a short rest and plenty of praise for Nera, the two finally moved on.
They followed a narrow path squeezed between the river and the towering ravine's wall, carved by the raging waters.
By the time they walked deeper into the gorge, the sun had climbed high overhead, its harsh light spilling down like molten gold. Half the day was gone.
Corvin scanned the terrain, searching for any way to climb out of this stone prison. Then his Echolocation pinged something ahead.
A life sign.
“A lizardman? Alone…” Corvin whispered, lips curling into a cautious grin. “Let’s hope he’s like Stix, someone who can talk. Someone reasonable. Maybe we’ll finally find an ally.”
He crept toward a ravine overlooking the river. Beyond it, a faint trail seemed to snake upward, a possible exit.
The lizardman stood at the edge, fishing with a crude rod. The green scaly being looked young and carefree,
[Lizardman Hunter Lv. 26] [HP: 751 / 751] [MP: 100 / 100]
Weaker than the two of us combined. About goblin-tier… though that HP’s not bad.
Corvin approached slowly, voice calm. “Good day. Could you tell us how to get out of here? We’re a little lost.”
The lizardman jolted, snatching up a bow and nocking an arrow in one fluid motion.
Corvin raised his hands, sighing. “Easy. We mean no harm. Understand me?” He even tried a smile, though with his blood-streaked face, it looked more like a predator’s grin.
The lizardman shrieked, a guttural cry echoing through the canyon, and loosed the arrow.
Corvin’s eyes hardened. “Fine. Don’t say Uncle Corvin never gave you a chance.”
“Dash!”
He blurred forward, the arrow slicing empty air. As Corvin pulled out his scimitar in the last second, slashing thrice, cleaving the young lizardman in multiple pieces.
[Experience gain reduced due to the user’s Constitution]
[Experience gained: 330]
[Experience toward next level: 60%]
Corvin exhaled, scimitar dripping green blood. “See, Nera? Wasn’t that foolish of him?”
Nera hissed softly.
“What? You think I was foolish? Should’ve struck before he screamed?” He chuckled darkly. “Yeah… probably.”
He looted the corpse carefully: a crude fishing rod, a wooden bow, and a quiver of iron arrows.
[Wooden Fishing Rod (Junk)]
[Wooden Bow (Junk)]
[Iron Arrow x10 (Common)]
He didn’t even pick up the monster core; he left it for Nera. She devoured the remains with shocking speed, scales glistening as she swallowed chunk after chunk.
“Damn, you eat fast,” Corvin smirked, though his thoughts were grim. Guess I should kill on sight from now on. Shame… such shame.
He had hoped, prayed, for someone to talk to. But the odds were stacked against him.
With a weary sigh, he led Nera up the winding path the lizardman had come from, toward the canyon’s edge.
***
Corvin and Nera climbed fast, hearts pounding, hoping to escape whatever the dying lizardman’s scream had summoned.
They were just about to vault over the canyon rim when movement caught Corvin’s eye: three figures sprinting toward them.
[Lizardman Hunter Lv. 24] [HP: 651 / 651] [MP: 90 / 90]
[Lizardman Hunter Lv. 27] [HP: 804 / 804] [MP: 100 / 100]
[Lizardman Hunter Lv. 22] [HP: 559 / 559] [MP: 60 / 60]
Corvin grinned, whispering, “Nera… make it rain, baby.” He slid a steel spear from his storage, muscles coiling like springs.
Nera slithered low through the grass, her scales blending into the green. The hunters never saw her coming. Her maw gaped wide, then three jets of acid screamed through the air.
The corrosive rain struck like hellfire. One lizardman collapsed instantly, flesh melting. The other two shrieked, their limbs dissolving as they staggered in agony.
Behind her, Corvin roared: “Spear Throw!”
Steel flashed. One spear, then another, both piercing clean through scaled chests. The hunters fell silent.
[Experience gain reduced due to the user’s Constitution]
[Experience gained: 940]
[Experience toward next level: 92%]
“Nice combo!” Corvin cheered, vaulting up from the lower path and dashing to the corpses.
He retrieved his spears, looted three bows and a quiver stuffed with thirty iron arrows, and even snagged a few dead birds from their pouches.
[Wooden Bow (Junk) x3]
[Iron Arrow x30 (Common)]
[Grey Dove’s Corpse x3 (Common)]
“Not bad,” he muttered, storing the haul. “Guess I’ll have to learn archery with all these arrows.” A dry chuckle escaped his lips as he scooped up the monster cores. With Nera already full, he felt it a shame to waste the money like that and leave them behind.
Without looking back, they sprinted into the forest beyond the canyon, leaving the shredded bodies behind.
***
They pushed deeper into the forest, hiding behind a massive tree trunk. Corvin pulled up his status screen, eyes narrowing at the numbers.
Close to leveling… but killing things at my level barely gives anything.
He clenched his jaw. So that’s how it works. If I want real progress, I need bigger prey.
“We’ll have to hunt something stronger,” he muttered, shaking his head.
“Move!” he whispered, and the two darted uphill, weaving through roots and underbrush until they dropped flat at the top.
Below, a clearing stretched wide, a small encampment of fifteen tents ringed by a crude wooden fence. Inside, lizardmen lounged, sparred, and butchered fresh kills. Some scales gleamed green, others yellow.
Corvin’s stomach sank. “We’re screwed… That’s a tribe. And we just killed their hunters.”
Cold sweat trickled down his spine as the largest tent flap opened. A towering figure stepped out, blue-scaled, scarred from head to toe, radiating raw menace.
[Lizardman Chief Warrior (Combat Veteran) Lv. 187] [HP: 35,044 / 35,044] [MP: 1,300 / 1,300]
Then the system chimed:
*** Quest Updated: Demise of the Three Generals ***
Defeat the Lizardman Warrior to receive a fragment of the Map of the Forbidden Lair (2/3).
*** Side Quest Accepted: Hunting Time! ***
Hunt the Lizardman Warrior before you and defeat it in close combat to receive its title.
Outside help is forbidden.
Corvin froze. His lips curled into a bitter laugh. “Hahahaha… Accepted? By whom? You’ve got to be kidding me…”
Open the Spoiler for stats!
Skills Unlocked: Dash Lv. 1, Bludgeoning Resistance Lv. 2
Leveled Up: Dash Lv. 1 > Lv. 2 | Iron Lungs Lv. 1 > Lv. 2
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