Twisting Fate
Fortunately, as if Yang Sora had successfully drawn its aggro, the heavy thuds of the Giant Kobold's footsteps began to recede in a different direction. For now, I slung Yoonseo-ssi over my shoulder, ran a safe distance away, and set her down. Looking around, it seemed we had made it back to the gathering area where we did our first quest.
"Ugh..."
"Se-Seong-gi-ssi! Sora! Sora is...!"
Yoonseo-ssi looked up at me with a face full of despair. I grit my teeth, unable to think of anything I could do in our current situation.
"Yoonseo-ssi! Pull yourself together and listen to me! For now, head straight back to the Residential Area! This is the gathering area, so you should be able to make it back on your own! I'll go get Sora and bring her back!"
"N-No! How can I leave you and go out alone?!"
"Lee Yoonseo! Wake up! In your current state, you can't even run, which makes you the easiest target for that monster! Get out of here! I promise I'll bring Yang Sora back with me!"
"But..."
My heated words took the wind out of Yoonseo-ssi's sails, and her stubborn resistance crumbled.
"Yoonseo-ssi, trust me! I will save Sora-ssi and bring her back no matter what!"
I locked eyes with her, sending her a desperate, pleading look to trust me. Yoonseo-ssi hesitated under my gaze before finally nodding.
"Alright. I'll trust you, Seong-gi-ssi. Please, bring Sora back safely! You must! And you have to survive too, Seong-gi-ssi. Both of you must return together! Promise me, okay?"
Yoonseo-ssi tightly clasped my right hand with both of her hands, making a plea that was closer to a desperate prayer. I gave her a faint smile and nodded. We both stood up. Yoonseo-ssi ran toward the Residential Area, while I dashed in the direction Yang Sora had vanished.
"Ah, fuck! I really had to play the hero, didn't I?"
I spat out every curse word I knew as I ran. There was almost zero chance that both of us would survive just because I went back. But perhaps because we had been doing quests together for the past few days, some sort of attachment had formed. Before I knew it, my body was moving on its own, driven by the desperate urge to save them both.
"I was just planning to save Yang Sora and get carried by her... Dammit..."
I sprinted toward the distant, heavy thuds of the Giant Kobold's footsteps. The path the Giant Kobold had plowed through was cleared of trees and brush, making it easy to track. Even though I wasn't fast, I could catch up. After running for a bit, I spotted Yang Sora's back in the distance, still being chased by the monster. I kept running and yelled out to her.
"Sora-ssi! Over here!"
"Huh? Snake! Why the hell are you here?! What about Yoonseo?!"
"I got Yoonseo-ssi to safety and sent her back to the Residential Area! For now, head this way!"
Yang Sora clicked her tongue at my words but pivoted and ran toward me. Sora was quite fast, and the Giant Kobold was occasionally slowed down as its massive body crashed through the dense trees and foliage, allowing her to barely maintain a safe distance.
"Huff... Huff..."
We panted heavily, running with everything we had to escape the Giant Kobold. Suddenly, a loud splintering crash echoed from behind, followed by the sharp, whipping sound of something cutting through the air. I looked back. *Whoosh! Whoosh!* It was the wooden club the Kobold had been holding. The massive club was spinning rapidly, hurtling straight toward us. Realizing the distance between us was growing, the Kobold had seemingly decided to throw its weapon to crush us instead of trying to catch up.
"Ugh! Crazy bastard!"
Seeing the club flying straight at us, I tackled Yang Sora to the side. We barely evaded it, but the impact sent us tumbling across the rough ground.
"Ugh..."
Grimacing from the pain of the hard fall, I forced myself to look up. The Giant Kobold was dragging a thick, uprooted tree trunk behind it, closing in on Yang Sora, who lay sprawled on the ground behind me. Yang Sora, who had just regained her senses, looked back and turned pale with terror.
"Go! Hurry! I'll hold it off!"
Sensing her own impending doom, Yang Sora screamed at me. Her words triggered a sudden, jarring sense of deja vu.
Is this...?
The scene of Yang Sora's death that I had witnessed through my Dying Message overlapped with reality. Before my brain could even process the thought, my body was already sprinting toward her. Yang Sora shrieked at me to stay back, but my eyes were locked entirely on the Giant Kobold, which was raising the massive tree trunk like a club, ready to bring it down.
I have to twist it here... That's our only chance of survival!
Convinced that altering the death I had foreseen would somehow open a path to survival, I gripped my shield and threw myself between Yang Sora and the Kobold.
BOOM!!!
A deafening roar shattered the air as a devastating impact slammed into my entire body. The force of the blow sent me flying through the air, crashing violently into a nearby tree.
"Agh...!"
Every nerve in my body screamed in agony. A metallic taste filled my mouth, and blood spilled past my lips.
"Hey, Snake!"
The preordained fate has been twisted.
A system notification chimed in my ear, but I didn't have the mental capacity to check it. If I let my guard down for even a second, I would black out.
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
"B-Behind... you...!"
With agonizing effort, I pointed toward the Giant Kobold, which was already preparing for another strike. Yang Sora followed my finger and gasped as she saw the monster gearing up to attack. Realizing it was too late to dodge to the sides or retreat, Yang Sora made a split-second decision. She lunged forward, diving straight between the Kobold's massive legs and rolling out to the other side.
"Now's my chance..."
With a look of grim determination, Yang Sora glared at the Kobold as it began to turn back toward her. *Crackle! Spark!* Suddenly, blue arcs of electricity began to crackle across Yang Sora's body. The sparks popped so loudly I could hear them from yards away. Shrouded in lightning, she charged straight at the Kobold.
"Take... THIS!!!!!"
BOOM!!!!!
A massive blue explosion erupted from Yang Sora with a sound like a localized thunderbolt. The blast radius was so immense that the shockwave rippled all the way to where I lay.
"Kweeeeeeek!!!"
Taking the brunt of the explosion, the Giant Kobold shrieked in agony, collapsing to the ground and thrashing wildly. Seizing the opening, Yang Sora rushed over, slung my arm over her shoulder, and helped me drag myself up.
"Haa... Haa... Snake! Are you okay? Can you walk?"
"Ugh... I don't think I can walk on my own..."
"Dammit... We need to get out of here, fast! That thing is going to get back up soon!"
The Kobold was rolling on the ground, its body covered in severe burns, but we had no way of finishing it off right now. The skill Yang Sora had just unleashed likely required a Recharge before she could use it again, and my injuries left me practically paralyzed. It was only a matter of time before the Kobold recovered and hunted us down to tear us apart in a fit of rage.
"Let's move...!"
Yang Sora strained under my weight, trying to drag me away from the thrashing monster. But at this agonizingly slow pace, the Kobold would easily catch up to us the moment it regained its senses.
"It's no use... At this rate, we're both..."
"Shut up! I told you yesterday, didn't I?! Don't you dare throw your life away to save me! Why did you have to do something so stupid?!"
Yang Sora yelled, her voice thick with fury, refusing to even look at me.
"I am not leaving you behind! So if you want to live, shut up and keep walking!"
She tightened her grip around me, pulling me forward with stubborn strength. But this was a death sentence. We had to find another way, or that monster would slaughter us. Suddenly, a desperate idea flashed through my mind.
"Sora-ssi... T-That way..."
"What? That's... that's the opposite direction of the Residential Area!"
"Just go... please..."
"Ugh, fine!..."
Reluctantly, Yang Sora changed direction, dragging my battered body along. *Rumble! Crash!* As we pushed forward, a deafening roar grew louder and closer. A few more agonizing steps revealed the rushing river that led to the waterfall we had discovered yesterday.
"This place...?"
"Into... the river..."
"What?!"
Yang Sora stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief, as if I had lost my mind. I mustered every ounce of strength I had left to look her dead in the eye.
"Are you insane?!"
Realizing what I was suggesting, her face twisted in sheer horror. Right then, the heavy, earth-shaking thuds of the Kobold's footsteps echoed from behind. It had recovered. Yang Sora glanced back and grit her teeth.
"Ugh! Dammit... I guess we're dead either way, huh?!"
She shot me a quick look, then dragged me toward the roaring river. Behind us, the thundering footsteps of our pursuer grew terrifyingly close.
"Kweeeeeeek!"
Spotting us, the Giant Kobold let out a bloodcurdling screech and accelerated, barreling toward us like a runaway train. Looking back, at our current sluggish pace, there was a very real chance we'd be caught before we even reached the water. We both pushed forward, desperately dragging our feet.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!!!"
"Ugggh..."
The rushing river was right in front of us. Just one more step, one desperate leap, and we would plunge into the water. But the Kobold was right on our heels, its massive hand stretching out to snatch us. Closing our eyes tight, we threw ourselves forward. At that exact moment, the Kobold lunged, its claws scraping the air just inches behind us.
*Splash!*
By a hair's breadth, we plunged into the freezing water. The violent current seized us instantly, tossing our bodies like ragdolls as it swept us toward the edge of the waterfall. Within seconds, we reached the precipice and plummeted into the roaring abyss below. And then, darkness claimed me.