The dogs behaved as if they were possessed by madness. In their frenzied assault, even the tree upon which Alexander stood started shaking.

Without sparing any time, Alexander pressed forward. Glancing back, he saw the dogs that had been trailing behind were now catching up, having abandoned all sense of safety and reason. Some stumbled and fell, yet their ranks were quickly replenished by fresh arrivals.

Horror crept into Alexander; he could handle one or two, maybe six at a time, but at least fifteen dogs were rapidly approaching him on the trees, not to mention the new ones coming. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if just one of them managed to hit him and he fell down. He would be torn flesh from bone, and judging by their crazed look, he doubted if his bones would remain.

Suddenly, a dog lunged at Alexander from the front. Without hesitation, he delivered a swift kick to its face. However, this action nearly threw him off balance. Frantically swinging his arms and legs around the branch, he managed to regain stability.

But that came at a price; he slowed down, a price he was not in the place to pay. One of the dogs behind was just about to pounce at him.

Boom.

Rumble.

Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the entire area, causing everything to shake. The dog that was poised to pounce lost its balance at the last moment and tumbled down, followed by several others behind it. Thankfully, Alexander had already secured a firm grip.

In the next instant, the trees bent as a powerful shockwave swept through, bringing with it a blast of chilling cold and snowy air that engulfed everything like a dust storm.

Alexander closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he found himself surrounded by chilling cold, everything blanketed in a literal blizzard.

The cold pricked Alexander's skin, but he knew there was no time to waste; this was a golden opportunity. Without delay, he began to move swiftly, seeing no signs of the dogs around.

Despite the strain on his muscles and the shivering of his skin from the cold, Alexander pressed onward without pause. He exerted so much force that some of the branches he stepped on snapped.

After approximately 7 minutes, he noticed that the fog surrounding him was beginning to thin. This realization only heightened Alexander's tension; without the protective cover of the fog, the beasts might spot him again. Frantically, he increased his speed and pushed himself even farther.

Three minutes later, the fog around him was nearly gone. He halted—not due to the dissipating fog, but because his muscles were screaming in protest. Despite his robust constitution, his body required time to adapt to this level of exertion.

Alexander looked back and felt his head almost spinning. Behind him, or more specifically, from where he emerged, the entire area was blanketed with fog, rising at least 30 meters into the air. Faint booming sounds could be heard even here, accompanied by small shockwaves.

Like a storm was hiding two monsters.

"B-rank," Alexander muttered, the daunting thought of an A-ranked monster or cultivator creeping into his mind. This was sheer madness.

After some time, he realized he was not out of the fog area; he was just above it. Somehow, in his frantic dash, he had climbed onto higher ground.

Alexander had no idea where he was, and to be honest, the low muffled booming noises coming from far away from time to time made him a little scared.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Alexander soon found a cave and decided to stay the night here. He was a little more than excited. But there was a smile on his face; this was the most exciting day in his life.

As he slept, what Alexander, or rather no one, knew was happening in the deepest recesses of the forest. A huge, 20-meter-tall mammoth with carvings all over its body was lying dead. All the surroundings were uprooted and twisted, layers upon layers of ground was destroyed, the area filled with craters big and small, torn out like a carpet or just chopped into chunks. All in all, chaos, as blood soaked the ground red.

Around the 20 meters, remnants of around 50 other small mammals remained, fallen with blood practically streaming out of their huge bodies. Not too far from them lay a huge creature, its body from afar looked like black bones barely strong together with a minimum amount of meat in between them. And black skin as thin as paper. Its hard shell-like head could even be seen from this far, along with its tail which looked like a scorpion's but way thinner.

Blood similarly streamed from this 15-meter-long behemoth, with three smaller bodies of the same creatures lying all around it.

"'We have gotten in,' said a silhouette, most likely that of a woman in shorts, her voice bewitching over the phone. Beside her, an exquisite box held a rich-looking exquisite flower that glowed in red and green from time to time.

"It was easy, only two upper-tier B-ranked beasts, nothing we could not handle," her voice rang out once again. Beside the silhouette, the figure of a man holding a long katana could be seen, and behind them, a few more people.

"But," the voice hesitated for a moment, then continued, "one mid-tier A-rank Aerion eagle showed up."

"No, we are okay. We used the weapon you gave us, but..." Saying this, her silhouette glanced at the van beside her, where a massive muzzle-like object protruded. Half of the van lay in ruins, green sparks flying and fire raging, with even the muzzle twisted. The ground surrounding the van was sunken in, forming a 7-meter crater. The craters appeared in layers, each deeper than the previous one, with the van resting at the bottom.

...

Alexander awoke abruptly, startled by the chirping of birds and the early golden hue outside. It appeared he had risen unusually early. His aching body suggested he had not slept soundly, likely waking in a panic.

His first action was to inspect the cave; in his exhaustion the day before, he had neglected to ensure he wasn't trespassing on some creature's lair. However, he doubted this was the case, as any inhabitant would likely have devoured him in his sleep. Still, he cautiously surveyed the area outside to be certain.

After finding no animals and realizing the dogs had given up on him, he relaxed and sat down. After waiting in silence, gathering himself, he let out a deep breath. Then, without wasting a single moment, he opened his status screen.

[you have killed a mutated adolescent Terran Elk, 702 exp]

[you have killed a feral dog, 8 exp]

[you have killed a feral dog, 8 exp]

………..

Name: Alexander

Race: Human

Level: 8

Exp: 988/1000

Strength: 24

*Perception: ___

*Dexterity: ___

*Agility: ___

*Constitution: 3

*Intelligence: ___

*Vitality: ___

The first thing he saw was his XP gain after solving all these problems. A smile bloomed on his face. For a brief moment, he thought all the ordeals he went through were not in vain. But it was just a fleeting moment. As he shuddered in the blowing cold wind, the scene of the two behemoths flashed in his mind. how powerful was their clash to change the weather like this.

But it was just as he anticipated; the elk provided him with sufficient experience alone to advance a level. Though it didn't result in a level increase, that was because he had already progressed before. If not, it would have been enough to achieve a level gain. Furthermore, he didn't advance that day; he questioned whether he could have escaped the chaos

As he examined his XP, a pang of disappointment coursed through him. He was so close to leveling up, just a fraction of experience away. What terrible luck! Perhaps if he had defeated more foes, especially those pesky dogs.

Today marked the deadline for his return; the three-day period had elapsed. Humans, such peculiar creatures. Here he was, bemoaning his misfortune at failing to level up, oblivious to the sheer luck of escaping with his life intact amidst the chaos caused by two B-rank beasts.

After considering his options, he swiftly exited the cave. Though the booming sounds had ceased, wild winds still whipped where the battle had taken place, carrying a lingering chill in the air.

With only 12 more experience points needed, Alexander wasted no time and headed straight to the meeting point. Along the way, he didn't hesitate to dispatch any creatures, be it a small bird or a cute squirrels. Fortunately, he quickly leveled up again but decided to save the three attribute points for later use.

Although there was still time until the meeting point, the intense three days of continuous fighting had noticeably changed him. Now, he doubted whether Ricky would actually wait for him if he arrived late.

At this juncture, whether he lived or died, Ricky had nothing to gain or lose. Despite feeling somewhat lost, seeing the massive storm of blizzards where the fight had taken place and recalling the location where he first spotted the elk, Alexander swiftly regained focus and reached the designated meeting spot. Surveying the area, it was evident that Ricky and his team had not yet arrived.

Alexander settled beneath a nearby tree, releasing a deep sigh. Although not entirely secure, Alexander felt a modicum of safety in the moment.

After a brief wait, Alexander reluctantly sat down and began guiding the lumber, or rather, the points to the strengthened meridian.

However, after completing two of them and half of another, Alexander had to halt. Ricky and his team had arrived, but something seemed amiss.

In the next moment, Alexander's eyes widened in shock.