Alexander understood what kind of dangerous situation he was in. it has been 15 mints since he left after killing the snake for the hawk.
The hawk was not that far from his location, despite that he did not traverse half the distance in 15 minutes was because of his foolishness. What the fuck was he thinking throwing his axe, now in the forest he was completely defenseless! And had to avoid everything in sight. He should have bought a shield at the least.
After another 17 minutes of careful or rather fearful maneuvering, Alexander was close to the area where the hawk fell. At least judging by the tree he guessed so. Without any weapon in hand Alexander felled naked and even a rustling of leaves and busses became far more terrifying then it should have been.
He quickly scanned the area and soon spotted the handle of his axe, not where he had initially expected but not far off either. Without hesitation, he darted towards it. The thought of being defenseless in the forest for even a moment longer was intolerable.
Splash
Splash
Splash
But after a few strides, Alexander halted, his ears pricked by a distinct splashing sound. Glancing downward, he detected blood staining his path. Following the crimson trail ahead, he located the hawk, the axe embedded in its chest, blood trickling down.
As Alexander followed the trail of blood with his eyes, he observed that it led to the spot where he initially believed the hawk had fallen—marked by the broken branches. Alexander proceeded towards the hawk. It was likely that after being struck, the hawk had fallen to this location, dragging itself here before succumbing to its injuries from blood loss.
Suddenly Alexander remembered something and opened his notification screen,
[You have killed a crista boa, 568 exp.]
[You have killed a cavryos egale 362 exp.]
Alexander almost had a heart attack reading the second lien.
‘What the hell, what is a cavryos Eagle doing, here?’ Alexander's mind screamed in disbelief. Cavryos Eagles were renowned for their subtle golden-hued feathers, which bestowed upon them an elegant and ethereal beauty.
They were exceptionally rare, not just due to their low numbers but also because they inhabited the deepest parts of the forest and were incredibly swift. Of course they paid well, but only a select few possessed the skills and abilities to capture them.
Ironically, those enticed by the lucrative reward often lacked the necessary prowess to venture into their habitats, let alone capture them. And those who can, the reword is not substantial enough. In short their fur was a luxury item for the wealthy, in other words a bragging rights of sorts.
Alexander hoped desperately that the system had made a mistake as he dashed towards the fallen eagle. Lo and behold, the bird displayed the coveted golden hue on its feathers—a trait he had studied back in grades 4 to 9, where you had to know all the commons beasts by name along with their scientific name and all the other useless things.
Judging by its size, Alexander speculated that this eagle was likely a juvenile or adolescent. Cavryos Eagles were known to reach heights of 17 feet with a wingspan of at least 25 feet, occasionally even measuring 23 feet in body length and an impressive 30 feet in wingspan. Yet, it wasn't the creature's sheer size that sent shivers down Alexander's spine—it was the presence of the alpha.
Cavryos Eagles, though rare even at 17 feet in size, held a docile demeanor, preferring flight over confrontation. However, each herd harbored an alpha tasked with protecting the nest and the communal eggs. Alphas varied greatly in size, ranging from 10 to 30 feet, heck it could even be 3 feet, but the most terrifying thing was it would be at least a proper C- rank beast. Sometimes even peak of the C-rank.
Let alone facing a peak C-rank beast, a well-rounded team like Ricky’s would never stand a chance against a normal C-racked without a world-shaking miracle.
Approaching the eagle's corpse, Alexander carefully extracted the embedded axe. It came out with surprising ease, confirming his suspicion that the axe hadn't penetrated deeply enough. The bird likely succumbed to excessive blood loss and the fall. Maybe.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
In front of the corps, Alexander hesitated briefly but quickly remembered the challenges he had overcome thus far. Fear was not an option. Besides, the eagle's valuable loot was too precious to abandon in the wilderness, left to be devoured by some random creature.
Alexander carefully lifted the Cavryos Eagle's body onto his back, what ever happens he just had to face it. With the weight burdening him, he headed towards the clearing where he had stashed the serpent's remains, chopping them into pieces and covering them with leaves made shift bags.
The crista boa lacked any venom, making its skin and meat its most valuable assets. Despite the reduced value from chopping it up, Alexander had little choice.
As he laid down the eagle and checked his storing place for unwanted intruders, the afternoon was almost nearing its end.
This time, having the axe with him, it did not take long for Alexander to reach the place where he saw the elk. Along the way, he did kill some creatures, but they were not significant enough to give him any boost in experience points.
But he was not upset. Today was the last day before he had to return, and although he did not get to farm much experience points for the past two days, today was more than making up for it. It was as if this was his lucky day. This was also the reason Alexander got the courage to get here.
Alexander moved the large leaf out of the way as he came to the clearing, and his eyes widened in awe. It was truly his damn lucky day.
In the vast opening which looked like a wide line dividing two sides of the frost, the elk was still there munching on its grass, with its beautiful antlers raised high.
Alexander, who had never witnessed such sights in person, was deeply affected by the scene before him. It was as if he was in cloud nine, overcome with awe and wonder.
The majestic elk paused, its gentle eyes meeting Alexander's, evoking a fleeting sense of connection before it resumed grazing on the lush grass, undisturbed by the impending confrontation.
Alexander stood there, captivated for a moment by the scene, then snapped back to reality, gazing at the sky now bathed in a golden hue. He knew he had to make a decision, and unlike before, this one was clear-cut in his mind. He needed the experience points, so regardless of how adorable the elk appeared, it had to go.
Alexander did not think much or rather he did not want to think much as he exerted all his strength form a running posture. And in just 3 second closed the distance and brought his axe down.
Before when he noticed the axe did not penetrate deep in the hakes skin, he knew then there the axe has already dulled. It was after all a cheap product, and mainly bought because of its durability. So now while aiming for the elk’s neck Alexander exerted all 24 of his strength behind it to the point an air splitting sound could be hard just form drawing the axe back word.
n a ghostly blur, Alexander materialized before the young elk, a menacing grin spreading across his face as he swiftly brought the axe down. but at this moment Alexander’s eyes widen, not in shock , but fear. He fucked up, big time.
The forest density behind the elk was very high and not to mention this was almost evening. So Alexander only saw darkness. But now that he was close, he could see it. The frost behind it was filled with elks, and all of them adults.
And that wasn't even the most alarming sight. Every 7 feet tall adult elk bore intricate rock patterns around their hoofs and ankles areas, some even adorned with rocks on their antlers and bodies. And all of them were looking straight at him.
Alexander's thoughts raced frantically, a whirlwind of fear and confusion enveloping him. Amidst the chaos, a single word echoed like a deafening roar in his mind as the axe cleaved through the young elk's neck: 'FUCK.'
These were no ordinary mutated elks, merely enlarged in size. They were Terran Elks—distinguished by the earthy elements adorning their bodies. Alexander's confusion was justified; why were these formidable creatures here? Normal mutated elks, capable of effortlessly trampling cars, were insignificant in comparison. Terran Elks typically dwelled much deeper within the forest's heart.
The forest fell into an eerie silence as Alexander's axe cleanly severed the elk's head. For a fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still, before the tranquility shattered with the elks' thunderous howls, reigniting the chaos.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Then, the air filled with a cacophony of calls, or rather howls, from the surrounding elks. Alexander stood dumbfounded, frozen in place by sheer terror. Greed is a fucking life taking sin.
Suddenly, one of the elks, smoke billowing from its nostrils, charged towards him, each thunderous step sending chunks of soft soil flying.
Alexander desperately turned to flee but stumbled and fell to the ground. He glanced back with wide eyes, horror washing over him as the charging elk closed in.
But just as suddenly as it had begun, the charging elk halted, and the rest of the elks fell silent too. The forest seemed to grow oppressively quiet in an instant.
This time, the silence was suffocating.
As the charging elk abruptly halted, but its body trembled, unknown of cause, fear or anger, as thik white smoke came out of its nostrils as it looked at Alexander with its now almost red eyes,
However, it sidestepped soon after, revealing a scene that filled Alexander with overwhelming dread. Emerging from the depths of the forest, a pair of dimly glowing blue antlers approached. As the mysterious figure drew closer, Alexander could make out its majestic form.
The creature stood at least 14 feet tall, adorned with intricate blue veins lining its antlers and body, as if nature had painted it with delicate strokes of luminescent blue. The elegance of its appearance was further accentuated by a glowing, exquisite pattern adorning its forehead—a masterpiece crafted by nature itself.
But seeing it, there was no awe in Alexander’s face, he almost wet his pants. This, this was a proper B-rank beast. He just did not froze in fear, his mind just stop working.
He instinctively knew just its aura was enough to lock him in place if it wanted. It slowly emerged out of the frost into the light. In the golden glow of the sun it truly looked like an ethereal creature.
Ka
Ka
Ka
Suddenly, flocks of birds burst forth from the left side, their fluttering wings carrying an ominous message.
Alexander felt his sanity teetering on the edge of fear when, somehow, his mind regained a shred of composure. Suddenly, the magical elk, instead of fixing its gaze on Alexander, turned its attention to the left.
Both Alexander and the elk turned their attention towards the source of the disturbance. Then, from the left, one tree after another began to topple.
ROAR
Shortly after, a deafening roar reverberated through the sudden silence. Against the backdrop of the setting golden sun, a majestic white lion emerged.