〚HP Status: Critical!〛|Bleeding|

〚HP Status: Critical!〛|Bleeding|

〚HP Status: Critical!〛|Bleeding|

〚Skill Aptitude Increase:『Meteor Scales:LV8』has become 『Meteor Scales:LV9』〛

The system dinged repeatedly, with several red warnings flashing in front of me as the shadow creature vanished into the ground.

The vicious scythe went along with it, and I was left looking perplexed and in pain, before I realised I had to escape.

But my whole body was wrecked and I felt completely drained that I just wanted to collapse in place.

What a sly and scary creature to attack this snake from behind!

I mustered what little strength I had and leapt away from where the shadowy creature vanished, and the scrape of my bones against flesh made a sickening sloshing noise.

Ugh! That hurt!

The system dinged once more.

〚Skill Aptitude Increase:『Pain Mitigation: LV5』has become 『Pain Mitigation: LV6』〛

And I cursed heavily as the gushing blood pool spread to follow me like ink from a paint brush.

Despite all the pain reduction skills, I still felt like I'd been poked with a hot iron, and I reeled around in shock.

Moving around was only going to dye the ground with my blood, but I couldn't afford to keep still either, because the winged serpents kept attacking me relentlessly.

When I checked my health bar it was indeed below critical at [134] points!

I'd never seen it that low since I evolved.

With the shadow gone, I scanned around for where it would reappear next, all the while battling the serpents. But I was way beyond my limits as my vision began to fade and the two serpents now appeared like blurry mountains riddled with fangs.

It took everything in me to stay conscious while evading their advances, but somehow I remained alert as the system kept dinging from time to time.

〚Skill Aptitude Increase:『Faint Resistance: LV6』has become 『Faint Resistance: LV7』〛

Above them, the numerous winged creatures circled around in a frenzy like a herald straight from hell. Their bone rattling cries indicated they were just waiting to tear me apart.

But where was the shadow creature?

Amidst all the noises assailing my senses, I frantically searched around for the most dangerous creature of all.

To get close enough to stab me, while remaining undetected, made me aware of the looming danger, and I couldn't let that happen again or I would definitely be dead.

If I was going to get away from these three creatures, the only way was to somehow fly through the circling horde above while evading the shadow creature's interference. But to do that I would have to pass through the jutting rocks above that were full of shadows.

Pushing through the pain in my sides, I backed away from every dark spot nearby where the shadow creature could emerge from, but my scattered movements only succeeded in inciting the two serpents to attack even fiercely.

Clearly, they saw me as a cornered prey, and weren't backing off until they got a piece of my flesh.

Fortunately, I managed to locate something.

As I bit down on the neck of one of the serpents and deflected the second, I noticed an unusual shadow stretching out to reveal a figure rising from the ground.

The wickedly large scythe was the first thing I saw, followed by a pair of curved horns, and a featureless head that looked like it was covered in glossy black bandages. Aside from its lower body that was utterly inhuman, it could easily pass for a person, at least at first glance.

I tore through the serpent's neck and threw it aside to focus on the emerging creature, when I noticed some morbid details.

Its body wasn't whole and the proportions underneath its shadowy body were completely off.

Half of its ribcage was missing and there were several broken bones poking out through the pallid flesh that remained. Its lower equine half was mostly skeletal and sections of its front leg and back had been carved down to the bone, exposing the notches along its spine that ended in several hanging ribs, alongside dripping shadowy entrails that trailed behind its terrifying silhouette.

Empty eye sockets set upon a skeletal face stared down at me, radiating an immense chill that left me petrified, as waves of solid darkness surged to surround the creature, right before I was hit with a dizzying wave of decaying flesh.

Like the two serpents, it was exceedingly gaunt where parts of its flesh had been torn and left exposed for all to see its body's inner workings; only unlike them, it was coated with a second skin of darkness that seemed to hold everything together.

Such a nightmarish creature was blocking my path along with the serpents, and I wondered if I could fly through the swarming creatures fast enough before it decided to attack me again.

But there were far too many creatures around and my HP was dangerously low. I needed my darkness blade if I wanted to blast through this siege.

Unfortunately, when I condensed my shadows, its misty form dissipated very quickly, like leaves floating in the wind, as the darkness shrank away to nothing.

As the winged serpents surged forward to attack, I switched to a different element and fired multiple poison blades to keep them at bay.

Why was the dark magic suddenly out of my control again?

Was that shadow creature suppressing my dark magic?

«Dark magic, unlike others, is duplicitous in nature.» Sensei chuckled. «When two or more creatures try to use it simultaneously, it tends to yield more towards the strongest.»

"What sort of stupid logic is that?!" I seethed in rage. "My magic should listen to me!"

I'd faced off against things much stronger than myself and won. Yet this stupid magic is telling me I'm weaker than that creature so it wont cooperate with me?

How unfairly crooked!

«Not in this case though.» Sensei added. «You're simply suppressed under the effect of that monster's domain. You'll need to get out of its domain or become stronger if you want to break through it.»

"Well, how big is its domain?" I questioned Sensei.

But before I could hear the answer, the skeletal face of the creature cracked open and with its scythe held high, a high pitched cry emanated from it.

The shrill sound seemed to be a signal causing all the circling creatures above to swoop down, to attack me at once.

With them attacking from every direction, I had nowhere to run.

No – I had to stop the bleeding first, or even if I escaped – the bloody trail will lead them straight to me again.

Unfortunately, my heart was beating too uncontrollably to regulate anything and as a result, blood gushed out from my sides like a whirlpool. I was already too weak from moving around and at this rate I would likely bleed to death.

And as the creatures closed in, I heard Sensei's calm voice.

«You know what you need to do.» He whispered like a devil over my shoulder. «Take my potion if you want to leave here alive.»

Not that again.

Winged creatures descended in hordes, attracted by the prospect of fresh meat and I rapidly fired several poison blades just to keep them away.

Upon closer look, the winged creatures were salivating from their hideous maws, and with the frenzied attacks that seemed to be starving. And I shivered in revulsion as I realized I was the only food source nearby.

I somehow managed to survive another wave with my poison blades when the system began to ding again.

〚HP Status: Extremely Critical!〛|Bleeding|

〚HP Status: Extremely Critical!〛|Bleeding|

[Shut that off!] I screamed at Sensei.

On top of the pain and stress I was under, the system's pestering notifications left me extremely frustrated.

«They are only to remind you of your condition.» Sensei tutted. «But why aren't you taking my brew yet? Would you rather get bitten to death?»

Such blatant extortion! This piece of trash system.

As he was saying that, I saw one of the serpents had recovered and was quickly converging towards me.

"What can a single potion do?" I grumbled out loud in frustration.

«Take it and you'll see.»

With no other option, I purchased the suspicious brew and hastily gulped down the cyan blue liquid. And I immediately began to feel a peculiar stinging sensation as the liquid slid down my throat.

«How is it? How is the flavour?» Sensei excitedly gushed as if he was asking for a review on his new recipe. «It's purposely mild, with a hint of liquorice. Tastes good, right?»

Ugh! What the… I wanted to hurl!

What was this sickly sour taste?

But then the system dinged much to my horror and regret.

〚Skill Aptitude Increase:『Detox:LV6』has become 『Detox:LV7』〛

〚Skill Aptitude Increase:『Detox:LV7』has become 『Detox:LV8』〛

P-Poison?!

He actually gave me poison!

Two levels at once! How potent must it be for [Detox] to go from LV6 to LV8.

That wasn't even the worst part.

I began to feel sick as soon as it went down, and even though Detox improved, it wasn't removing the horrible feeling in my stomach.

When I checked my stats, it was back to normal.

--------------

Name: Aurelia [LV23 Small Cerastes]

Specie: Cerastes Vipera

HP: 110/536 Defence: 298>460

MP: 122/480 Intellect: 330

SP: 150/574 Magic: 438

Attack: 624 Agility: 466>632

--------------

But I soon noticed some numbers began to increase before my eyes, and even though my HP was still critical, it felt like a weight had been lifted.

However, I quickly realised something when I took another glimpse at my stats menu.

This time I was shocked at what I saw.

--------------

Name: Aurelia [LV23 Small Cerastes]

Specie: Cerastes Vipera

HP: 110/536 Defence: 460>1060

MP: 422/480 Intellect: 330>900

SP: 450/574 Magic: 438>1038

Attack: 624>1224 Agility: 632>1232

---------------

The stats had not stopped increasing, and even now, they continued to increase as if they weren't going to stop.