Chapter 23: Elite-Ranked Evolved Beast!
His sword work became more aggressive and desperate, slashing repeatedly at the wounded fox to ensure she couldn’t survive long enough for rescue. Even when the vixen stopped moving and appeared dead, Draco continued his assault, he knew that foxes loved to play dead, and he wasn’t going to fall for it.
Finally, a notification sound chimed in his mind, confirming his paranoia was on point.
[You have killed the common-rank beast, Leaf Fox]
Draco quickly searched the fox’s body for any potential drops, though he found nothing beyond his primary objective.
Draco extracted the precious Four-Petal Swiftleaf from the creature’s head, carefully storing it in his equipment pouch.
"Now it’s time to get out of here alive. Zephyr! We need to go, now"
The alpha fox still hadn’t arrived, only four seconds had passed since the death cry, but it felt like an eternity. Every moment they remained in this location increased their danger exponentially.
As Draco prepared to sprint back toward the gate entrance, he spotted movement in the distance.
The elite-rank fox appeared on a distant hilltop, his massive frame silhouetted against the strange gate-light. Even from hundreds of meters away, the fury and hatred in his posture were unmistakable.
At that exact moment, another mission notification appeared:
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Mission: Survival I
Difficulty: Hard
Survival is most important. Fight the evolved Leaf Fox and kill it!
Rewards: +1 to all stats
Penalty for failure: None
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As Draco began running toward the gate, he glanced back to assess his pursuer’s speed. His heart sank as he realized the devastating truth, the alpha fox was gaining ground, moving with the abilities befitting of an elite-ranked beast.
He’s faster than me, even with my equipment bonuses. If I keep running, he’ll catch me from behind and tear me apart.
The fox was gathering tremendous speed as he charged across the rolling hills, his powerful legs eating up the distance between them with every bound.
Draco’s agility was impressive for a human at his rank, but it couldn’t match a beast specifically evolved for speed and pursuit.
"I can’t afford to keep running, I get caught with an attack from behind. If I’m going to fight this thing, I need to choose the terrain and timing." Draco muttered, scanning his surroundings for any tactical advantages.
The open meadow offered little cover, but there was a cluster of large boulders about fifty meters to his left, and a steep embankment near a stream to his right.
Draco didn’t hesitate before turning left, and making his way to the cluster of large boulders.
He didn’t have other options, he would have turned right had the stream looked like it had a strong current.
He would have used the water to slow down the fox and let Zephyr attack the fox from the air. Unfortunately, the stream had a weak current, had he chosen to head there, it would have not been enough to stop the fox or slow it down substantially.
Arriving near the boulders, Draco turned to face the blood hungry fox.
Growl!
The fox growled as it made its way. It was only twenty meters away and closing the distance.
Draco stood next to a boulder and his eyes darted to other nearby ones.
Sweat beaded his forehead from the stress his body was experiencing. Fighting an elite monster was something that very few second year students can do let alone a beginner first year like him.
Still, despite the impossible odds. Draco had no choice but to fight. He glanced at the healing potions with him, and at Zephyr on his shoulder.
"Zephyr...either we kill this thing, or we die here. This will be a fight to the death." Draco grimaced at the fox that has stopped ten meters away, clearlt wary but angry.
[Yes, master. Either we survive together, or...die together.] Zephyr’s low pitched voice did not hide the heavy tone behind those words.
Draco nodded, his sword extended in front of him, ready for any attack. Despite his determined face, his hands trembled slightly before straightening.
"Come on, big guy. Show me what you can do," Draco muttered, forcing a huge grin onto his face despite the terror coursing through his veins.
His expression revealed no trace of the fear he felt inside. He understood that predators like the elite fox gained courage and confidence once they detected weakness in their opponents.
The Leaf Fox’s growl deepened to a bass rumble that seemed to vibrate through the ground itself.
The human before it had murdered its beloved mate, and despite its natural wariness of unfamiliar threats, it had absolutely no intention of allowing this creature to escape alive. It would tear him apart... slowly.
For several tense seconds, they circled each other like gladiators in an ancient arena. The fox moved slowly, testing Draco’s reactions and looking for openings, while Draco kept his sword raised and tried to predict the coming attack.
Finally, the fox made its move.
It launched itself forward with terrifying speed and agility that would have frozen most academy students in paralyzing fear. Its powerful hind legs propelled it through the air like a living missile, with claws extended and fangs bared.
Draco, with his Super-Sonic skill already active, managed to duck the devastating attack at the last possible second. His high agility points were the only thing that saved him from being torn apart.
Crack!
The boulder behind him took the full force of the fox’s assault, stone fragments flying as deep claw marks scored the rock face.
If that had hit me instead of the stone...
"Now!" Draco shouted.
Zephyr immediately darted forward for a counterattack, aiming for the fox’s exposed flank while it was momentarily off-balance from its missed strike.
Unfortunately, the elite beast’s combat experience showed, it twisted mid-recovery and lashed out with its front claws, forcing Zephyr to abort his attack and veer away to avoid being swatted from the air.
[Sorry, master. I was too slow.] Zephyr apologised at the missed opportunity that they might not find again.
Draco immediately reassured the hummingbird. "Don’t worry, Zephyr! It’s not your fault, he is simply too fast."
Draco had changed positions in the meantime, and once again he was next to another boulder that he was going to use.
Without pause, the enraged beast pounced on Draco once again.