Rock decided to stay hidden and observe it to see the reaction of this creature.
The zombie started to walk slowly towards the forest, but it didn't seem to have caught the other creatures' attention yet.
Rock therefore decided to wait a little longer to see if there would be a reaction. He continued to observe the zombie which eventually disappeared into the forest.
After a while, Rock realized they hadn't been alerted. He then decided to leave his refuge to explore the surroundings. He had to be careful, but he was curious to see what was hiding behind the crosses planted in the ground.
Rock set off, keeping an eye on the surroundings to avoid any mana creatures that might spot him. He soon arrived at the place where the crosses were planted.
He approached the crosses and carefully observed the turned earth in front of each of them. He felt the polluted energy emanating from the ground, but he didn't dare to use his [Magic Sense] skill to analyze it more closely.
Crack,
A branch broke right behind him.
Suddenly, He turned around having felt this particular vibration and became aware of the presence of one of the zombie dogs approaching him, attracted by the noise he had made approaching the crosses.
Rock realized he was in danger and decided to launch an attack. He used his skill [Earth Needle] and sent a needle towards the zombie dog.
The needle hit him, but did not kill him. The dog began to bark, attracting the attention of other mana creatures in the vicinity who turned in the direction of the bark.
Rock then realized that he had made a mistake by attacking the creatures. He decided to retreat, running as fast as he could. The creatures were after him.
After a few hours of running through the woods, dodging the trees and being careful not to fall, he decided to stop for a moment to partially recharge before continuing to run.
During this period of rest, he realized that his exploration activity had become dangerous. Rock unlike the other creature has a low intelligence but he has no one to guide him. He knows nothing about the world around him, which sometimes leads him into delicate situations that can endanger his life.
He should be more careful in the future and prepare for other similar situations.
He wondered how he could use this new skill more effectively.
Perhaps he could use it to create traps for mana creatures, or to protect a particular location.
He knew he still had a lot to learn about magic and creatures, but he was determined to grow stronger and understand this place better.
So Rock set to work improving his [Earth Needle] skill.
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He began by practicing on inanimate targets, aiming for tree trunks and other pieces of rock. He only used his skill 3 times using different variations to see what effect it would have.
With each of these tries, he varies the size, shape, and force behind the throwing needles in order to find the best possible combination to inflict maximum damage.
---
bark, bark
A hundred meters behind him, were two Zombie Dogs running, and stumbled each time getting caught in trees, slipping on gravel or tangling their paws in the greenery.
It was now that Rock realized his position, as these zombie dogs were far more dangerous than he had imagined. Within about thirty minutes they had tracked him down and were heading towards him quickly. These dogs keep barking incessantly until a collective growl sounds silencing the dogs.
Behind these dogs is the horde of Zombies he wanted to avoid when he was there. They walked slowly, but surely. The Horde was not advancing straight but was orienting itself according to the sound emitted by these dogs.
As long as the dogs are behind him, that means the horde will follow him anywhere and it's almost impossible to go unnoticed.
He must find a way to neutralize the dogs or avoid them quickly.
A moment ago when he heard the barking, he used his earth needle spell, but he missed the hounds and his needle landed weakly in the zombie horde. He then realized that this would not be enough to kill them, and He had to find another solution.
Rock quickly looks around for options. He notices a dead tree with low branches. Without thinking, he runs towards the tree and jumps using the lower branches to climb higher.
Rock panics when he realizes he has no way to get rid of the zombie dogs chasing him. He quickly scans his surroundings, looking for a solution. It was then that he saw a dead tree with low branches nearby. Without hesitation, he starts running towards the tree, while hearing the zombie dogs approaching him dangerously.
Arrived at the tree, Rock jumps using the low branches to pull himself up. The branches creak under his weight, but he manages to pull himself up high enough to escape the reach of the dogs. The zombie dogs start jumping and clawing at the trunk of the tree to try to climb up, but they can't get as high as Rock is.
From where he is Rock observes the situation.
There are two Zombie dogs at his feet trying to climb his tree.
At about fifty meters the horde approaches but with his slowness and if he plays all his cards well he can leave before it reaches him.
He concentrates and activates his skill [Earth Needle] to create a short needle in the direction of the dogs.
Swoosh, Swoosh
Bad luck the needle passes right next to it before crashing into the ground.
Rock watches the zombie dogs with concern as they gather around the needle of dirt he threw. The dogs, who seemed to have been momentarily disoriented by the spell, sniff her and scratch her with the tips of their paws. Meanwhile, Rock felt safer up in the tree, but he couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next.
Suddenly, the zombie dogs turn around and run towards the forest, leaving behind the needle of land. Rock is surprised at this action, but he feels relieved that the dogs have decided to leave. However, his relief is short-lived as, minutes later, the zombie dogs come running back. This time they figured out that they can't reach Rock by running on the tree trunk. The zombie dogs then jump on the tree trying to reach the branches with their sharp claws.
As he watches in horror as the dogs slowly climb towards him. He notices that to keep themselves on the tree they have become slow enough to be hit by his attacks.
Rock stood at the end of the branch far enough from the two zombie dogs but far enough to see them both well and focused on creating a large needle of dirt.
The needle of earth comes out of the ground, skewers the Zombie Dog crossed its basin before piercing the trunk of the tree. Thus sealing the beast that twists in all directions to try to get out of this unforeseen situation. With each movement the wound in the pelvis grows larger, before leaving the upper part of his body fallen to the ground. From this upper part flows black blood which, on touching the greenery, emits a gray smoke and destroys the greenery to turn it into dust.
Ggggrrrrr