Chapter - 4

Growl...

"Eh?" (Rex)

The sudden noise startled Rex prompting him to hurriedly look around. Rex's expression changed from one of caution to one of despair.

"Bark!" (Blood Hound Pack Leader)

The Blood Hound pack that had chased him a while back had now surrounded him.

Rex had been able to identify beasts subconsciously, it was like a mental bestiary. It seemed that this was something that all players had been given.

"Oh shit..." (Rex)

Blood Hounds weren't particularly strong beasts. Much like wolves in the real world, they were stronger as a pack. The only difference is that they worked with Blood Magic.

Blood Magic was a Higher Element. Rex guessed that it was an evolution of the Water element. He arrived at this conclusion after feeling highly concentrated Water Mana mixed in with something else around the Hounds.

The Hounds did not attack him immediately. They had cornered him and caged him in. Now, they were just staring at him. Their ruby eyes, black fur, red claws and red tipped ears were making Rex feel a little afraid.

'What should I do!? I still can't cast offensive magic yet! No! I could still create some sort of wall from the surrounding soil....I could attack with the sword -!' (Rex)

Before Rex could finish that thought, the Hounds pounced on him. The leader stayed at the back of the pack while five Hounds probed him.

Rex moved fast. He gathered all the Earth Mana that he could and willed it into the ground. The ground erupted. A crudely made wall rose from the earth. The Hounds stopped their attacks, wary of the sudden appearance of the 'wall'.

'So crude! Is it because the Mental Image wasn't firm?' (Rex)

Rex tried again. He didn't want to wait for the Hounds to attack so he moved before they could. He 'imagined' a sturdy and thick wall, about six feet tall, surrounding him. As soon as the wall was made, he felt exhausted and felt like he'd almost pass out.

'So TIRED....Did my Mana run out? Dammit! The lack of information presented in the Status Window is really...Oh!' (Rex)

*TING*

Congratulations! You have created a new skill!

New Skill: Earth Wall

On the outside, the Blood Hounds cautiously circled around the wall and then tried attacking it a couple of times. Rex created a small hole so that he could see the outside. He was astonished by what he saw.

'Is that...mist? So red...is this blood..not only that....are those dried corpses? Holy shit! These guys are like Vampires! They're using the blood from different animals and beasts to attack. How come they didn't manage to suck me dry?' (Rex)

As Rex saw the spectacle on the outside, he noticed that the Hounds were forming what looked like a bloodier version of a 'Water Ball'. A massive sphere completely made of blood, around 5 feet in diameter, hovered in front of the pack leader while the surrounding Hounds supplied it with Mana and blood to create it. Then Rex watched in horror as the red ball morphed into a spear and slowly solidified.

'Shit! Shit! SHIT!' (Rex)

Rex dropped to the ground as the spear was thrown and easily pierced his Earth Wall.

'If I stay here any longer then I'm dog meat! I have to think of a solution! If only I had a bow or a gun that could shoot long dist-! IDIOT! You have Fire Magic!' (Rex)

Rex created a small flame in his hand and then lobbed it over the wall. What he saw made him feel like an idiot. The flame petered out not even halfway through the air.

'More compact, more energy, more Mana!' (Rex)

This time, Rex collected the Fire Mana in larger quantities and started compacting it in a spherical shape. The flames grew progressively hotter in his hand.

*TING*

Congratulations! You have created a new skill!

New Skill: Fireball

Rex grinned as he saw the notification. However, he felt exhausted again.

'At this rate, I might pass out soon. But it doesn't make any sense! I didn't use any of my own Mana. Maybe it's because my Mental Strength isn't high enough? No....if that was the case then I would have felt a headache...Whatever! It doesn't matter right now! I could die if I waste too much time!' (Rex)

Rex lobbed the Fireball over the wall, trying to aim it at the pack leader. The Fireball was slightly off, however. It landed on the Hounds standing in front of the leader.

BOOM!

Rex was blinded by the explosion that happened the moment the Fireball landed. He crouched down and waited. He created a small hole in the wall again and observed.

Out of the twenty-something Hounds that attacked Rex, about ten were now charred carcasses. Six, including the pack leader, were badly burnt. The rest were only stunned by the explosion.

Rex didn't hesitate. He immediately drew his steel sword from its sheath and created a large hole in the wall. He ran towards the pack leader and slashed at its neck. A nearby Hound moved to intercept him with its claws but Rex ducked and moved to attack the leader again. This time, his slash connected. He didn't stick around to see his handiwork. He immediately retreated and ran in the other direction.

'I'm not an idiot. Sixteen Hounds by myself? Please! I'm not some OP player.' (Rex)

Unlike the last time that Rex had been chased, he knew in which direction he was running. He had decided to head towards the river and hopefully lose the Hounds in the process.

'Huh? How come I don't hear any howling or barking?' (Rex)

Rex slowed down and looked behind him. He was pleasantly surprised to find that no Hounds had followed him.

"Where they scared off by the Fireball earlier? Or are they retreating because of their casualties? I don't think they'll attack me again. Either way, it's going to be night soon, I have to find a safe spot" (Rex)

So Rex kept moving in hopes of finding a suitable spot for him to rest.

Unbeknownst to Rex, a pair of yellow-colored eyes with round black pupils had been watching him from a nearby tree. It had been tracking his every move since he had reached the clearing earlier. Its eyes glowed with sharp intelligence.