“Lord Eyes!” Odelia yelled out, quickly drawing her bow and aiming directly at the Blood Stalker.

“Wait! Don’t!” I shouted, bearing the incredible pain of the sharp teeth and the two claws digging into me. “I can...still do this! Aaahhh...!”

Clenching my teeth in pain, I focused all my strength prying the claws out of my shoulders; though the moment the claws were retracted from my body, the Blood Stalker countered by biting down even harder into my neck and shoulder, reactively causing me to drop my bow and move my hands to each side of its mouth to keep the jagged teeth from going even deeper inside me. And without my hands pushing them back, the claws freely dug back into my shoulders and I yelled out in even more pain, “Aaahhhh!” Then all of a sudden a notification appeared.

You have been affected by the Status Debuff: [Bleeding].

Right after, my already half Health began rapidly ticking down.

Health: 2,883/5,895 Health: 2,824/5,895 Health 2,765/5,895

“Shit, this isn’t good! My health is going down way too fast! At this rate I’ll be dead in no time if I don’t think of something now!” Panicking to myself while I quickly brainstormed of how to escape, “Think, Eyes! Think!” Still holding back the Blood Stalker’s mouth and trying my best to ignore as much of the pain as possible.

“Lord Eyes, it is over! I am ending this!” Odelia shouted, fully drawing a mana-arrow aimed directly at the Blood Stalker’ skull.

“Fuck, this sucks! I really wanted to pass on my first try, but I guess I don’t have a choice if I want to survive—except I should at least finish this on my own.”

Before Odelia could shoot, I let go of the Blood Stalkers mouth, and quickly formed 8 mana-arrows—one in my left hand, and 7 in my right hand. Ignoring the increased pain of the bite, I held the one arrow in front of the Blood Stalker’s face, and waited for the opportunity to use the others. Then feeling that the Blood Stalker was about to tear open my neck and shoulder, I closed my eyes and slightly turned my head away from the left arrow and immediately casted Element Arrow (Light).

An intense burst of blinding light instantly erupted from the arrowhead, and I could hear Odelia shout “Ahhh, Lord Eyes! Stop! I cannot see where to aim!”

At the same time, I felt the Blood Stalker’s bite loosen as it growled, “Graahh! No see!”

Using that opening, I cast Explosive Arrow on all 7 arrows in my right hand at once, and immediately struck them against the Blood Stalker’s face. Simultaneously all 7 arrows exploded on contact, creating a powerful cluster of seven explosions between the Blood Stalker and me, and producing so much unexpected force that I was sent tumbling out of the clearing.

Explosive Arrow increased by 1 Level.

Impacting hard against one of the trees, my armour luckily broke off all the protruding spikes on its trunk, and I simply found myself on the ground trying to shake off the daze from the explosion. Struggling to pick myself up, I jumped in pain as I used my right hand to help me—just realizing the explosion had completely destroyed my right gauntlet, and left my hand and forearm a shredded and blackened mess.

“If this was my only injury...it would probably hurt like hell right now...But with the wounds from the claws and the bite...I barely even feel it compared to them..." Groaning loudly, I pushed myself to get up regardless of the pain, "I should also never do that again…Explosive Arrow will only get more powerful as I level...and next time it might just do more than hurt my hand...” Giant waves of pain rippled through my entire body, then as I took a step forward, I felt my head begin to spin—causing me to stumble a little.

Due to having extreme blood loss, you have temporarily gained the Status Debuff ‘Dazed’, and cannot be removed until your body has completely recovered the lost blood or your Health returns back to full. You have been affected by the Status Debuff: [Dazed].

I tried taking another step forward but I stumbled and almost fell to the ground, “Hmph...I can’t even walk straight...I wonder how long it’ll take to recover...” Looking at my current Health.

Health: 310/5,895 Health: 251/5,895 Health: 192/5,895

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed, quickly casting First Aid on myself.

You are no longer affected by the Status Debuff: [Bleeding]

“Fuck, that was close…I can’t believe I was almost about to die there…And if I remembered First Aid could do that...I would’ve done it earlier...” I groaned to myself, feeling only slightly less woozy from the blood loss. “Well I better get rid of this Status...before I fight another one of those Blood Stalkers...” Taking my second to last Greater Healing Potion from my Inventory, I used my teeth to uncork it and happily gulped down all the shimmering red liquid inside the bottle. To my surprise, it had a really pleasant and slightly sweet taste to it—smoothly traveling down my throat.

With First Aid and the Greater Healing Potion’s durations running, I watched as the huge open wound on my shoulder, collarbone, and neck slowly began to heal and close itself slightly. My blackened and shredded right hand also started to slowly magically repair the skin tissue back to normal—all while I kept an eye on my Health going up.

Health: 297/5,895 Health: 372/5,895 Health: 448/5,895

Though before I could take out my last potion and drink it, I sudden heard a loud roar “See elf!” As I then saw the blurry figure of the Blood Stalker charging towards me; now having a large crack in its face, scorch marks from the multiple mana-explosions, and my fresh blood heavily dripping from its mouth.

“Damn, I should’ve known it wasn’t dead.” Instinctively reaching for the bow on my back, I realized that it wasn’t there, and remembered that I was forced to drop it to hold back the bite. “Shit!” Seeing the Blood Stalker getting closer, I tried to imagine a bow in my hand, but nothing formed. “Fuck, my head's too dizzy to concentrate my mana properly!” Still feeling off and woozy, I decided “Reaching my bow it is then.”

Awkwardly running and stumbling back towards the clearing and the Blood Stalker, I activated Sprint to increase my speed, but I immediately tripped over an unnoticed stump and fell forward onto the ground. Pouncing at me, the Blood Stalker roared “Elf dead!” And panicking, I rolled and used Archer’s Dash, barely making it out of the way.

Deciding it was best to avoid and ignore the Blood Stalker until I got my bow, I quickly dashed and stumbled my way back to the clearing, and saw that Odelia was still blinded and rubbing her eyes excessively from the earlier arrow. “Lord Eyes, are you alright? Where are you?” She continued to yell out, “Just wait a little longer, my sight will recover soon!”

“I’m okay, Odelia!” I replied, trying to relieve her concern, “And don’t worry about saving me, I need to know if I can do this on my own!” Quickly spotting my bow, I stumbled over to pick it up.

Turning around and holding the bow from a kneeling position, I grimaced in pain as my shoulder wound wasn’t fully healed yet, and as my torn skin on my right hand drew an arrow and pulled the bowstring back. Aiming the arrow directly at the charging Blood Stalker, a wave of dizziness suddenly hit me and my usual steady aim wobbled and strayed from my intended target. Knowing that I was most likely gonna miss like this, I aimed directly above the path the Blood Stalker was moving in and used Arrow Shower instead. I then watched the single arrow fly in a high arc above, multiplying into a total of 22 arrows once it reached the apex, and all shower directly downwards onto the Blood Stalker.

Noticing the arrows late, the Blood Stalker still tried to get out of the area but was struck by more than half of them—the arrows each piercing on the different parts of its body. Though unfazed by the arrows sticking out of its hide, the Blood Stalker growled “Weak elf!” laughingly grinning at me and announcing, “Blood Heal!” Its whole body then strangely began oozing blood all over, causing the stuck arrows to be slowly pushed out by the strong flow of the blood, along with my sword still stuck in its side.

“What the hell?” Noticing how all the previous wounds I made, slowly closed up and healed into scars—even causing the large crack on its face to slowly heal back to normal.

“We call that Blood Healing!” Odelia informed me, her sight back to normal and having her arrow aimed at the Blood Stalker again.

“It just said Blood Heal, so I think your naming’s slightly off.” I told her.

“Huh, go figure.” Explaining “Anyway, Blood-Type monsters have the innate ability to use the blood they consume and store inside their bodies to heal themselves. It is what makes them so difficult to deal with in extended battles, and is likely one of the worst monsters you could have chosen in here to fight for your Combat Test—especially in a Dungeon full of blood such as this.”

“Wow! You know that info would’ve been really nice to know before we started!”

“Who was it again who told me to release the Blood Stalker?” Odelia smirked at me but I just replied with a huff.

Turning my attention back to the Blood Stalker, I saw my arrows and my sword all be ejected out of its body, and it fully healing back to normal again. Speaking to the Blood Stalker, I said “You’re not the only one who can heal.” Casting First Aid on myself two more times, and deciding to save my last Greater Healing Potion for later.

“Good! More tasty blood!” The Blood Stalker laughingly growled, circling around me, “Bloodthirst!” It was a small detail, but I suddenly noticed the Blood Stalker’s orange eyeballs with round black pupils turn into red eyeballs with sharp slit-shaped pupils; all subsequently causing: blood to drip from its eyes, veins to become prominent on its limbs, its body to slightly grow and enlarge, its claws to extend into the grass, and its tail to excitedly slam against the ground back and forth.

“Lord Eyes, do not get bitten again! The Blood Frenzy you are witnessing now means all its physical strength has doubled, and is no longer going to be playing with its food anymore!” Odelia heavily warned me.

The moment I tried to reply to Odelia, I heard the Blood Stalker take its chance and try to attack me from behind; but already expecting that, I used a few Archer’s Dashes to dodge out of the way and countered with a Power Shot to its side. However relentlessly coming after me, the pouncing Blood Stalker forced me to use a few more dashes to keep my distance. “Woah, it's moving way faster than before.” Focusing only on avoiding its pounces, bites, and claw attacks. While I continued to avoid and dodge the relentless attacks, I tried to cast Charged Arrow but it also didn’t work. “Damn, I can’t even use Charged Arrow.” Opening the Menu to get a glance of the Status.

Dazed: Unable to properly think and concentrate on things, you find your mind and body unable to function to their best capacity.

*Physical and Magic-Type Skills that require concentration cannot be used while affected by this Status.*

Duration: Until the adequate amount of blood is regained or Health is recovered back to full.

“Well I guess I’ll just have to stall until this Status goes away then.” Keeping an eye on my Health while I used First Aid one more time.

Health: 3,566/5,895

Avoiding using any more of my mana, I started instead using all my stamina-based Skills as I easily dodged the now familiar attack pattern of the Blood Stalker. Prioritizing avoiding and dodging the attacks, I waited for openings and countered with alternating Skills from: Power Shot, Spread Shot, Rapid Shot, Leap Shot, and Sniper Shot. I was actually dealing significant amounts of damage to the Blood Stalker, even after missing half of the Skills because of the dizziness; but as soon as I dealt too much damage to it, the Blood Stalker healed all of it away with its Blood Heal, and I had to deal the damage all over again.

Pacing myself, the battle continued for another 20 or so minutes, until almost all my Stamina was drained; leaving the Blood Stalker injured just before the damage threshold I noticed it preferred to use to know when it should heal itself—timing it exactly when I recovered back to full Health.

Health: 5,895/5,895 Fully recovering back to full Health, you are no longer affected by the Status Debuff: [Dazed].

Seeing absolutely clearly and feeling my mind sharply focus, I smugly smirked while I faced the injured and exhausted Blood Stalker who was no longer frenzying. “Thanks for leveling my Skills up, but I think it's about time I end this. Catch me if you can, you overgrown cat!” Sticking my tongue out at it and running away while using Charged Arrow with the arrow in my hand.

“Grahhh, elf! Bloodthirst!” The Blood Stalker roared, chasing right after me.

Focusing on charging of my arrow as fast as possible, I kept an eye on the close bites and claws attacks from the Blood Stalker. Then using the last bit of my Stamina on Sprint and Leap Shot, I jumped high up into the air.

Stamina: 0/3,930

The Blood Stalker stopped in place staring up at me, “Fall elf!” angrily growling while it waited for me to land.

“I will! But first, you die!” Finishing charging the last bit of my full Mana into the arrow.

Mana: 0/4,140

The arrow looked almost completely normal, except for a visible mana-aura surrounding it, but the instant I nocked it to the bowstring, it drastically changed. Expanding into an enormous 15ft-long mana-arrow, it looked absolutely absurd with the mana-fletching forming way past the bow’s bowstring, and the mana-arrowhead forming way past the bow’s grip; and the small in comparison physical arrow floating in the center between the two points. Then as I strained to draw back the heavy mana-arrow, I could already feel the its incredible potent power waiting to be released.

Smiling wickedly, I aimed the massive arrow directly at the Blood Stalker who looked to be frozen in fear, and feeling it was only right to announce, I shouted “Maximum Charged Arrow!”

Though at the same time, Odelia could be heard shouting “No! That’s too much power!”

As soon as the arrow left the bowstring, the sheer incredible force of the wind pressure it caused pushed me slightly higher up into the air. And in less than half a second, the arrow traveled and pierced the center of the Blood Stalker’s back, completely destroying all of it and leaving no remains whatsoever; then disappearing from sight as it dug a giant sinkhole into the bloody crimson ground. However, without even realizing exactly when it broke, I saw that I was only holding the small grip of Shame—spotting the rest of shattered pieces being blown away by the resulting updraft created by the arrow.

Congratulations, you have Leveled Up 6 Levels! All Stats have increased by 12, and you gained 60 Available Points.