A Monster Is Running Away?

A monster is running away? We sprang up from the bushes and immediately set our sights on the Irregular Laserdon. If we left it alone, the beast would ride the momentum of its surprise attack all the way to victory. I had zero intention of watching my prey get snatched away like that, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so I moved to disrupt it before it could finish the job. If I couldn't have it, then neither could that thing.

Twang! Twang! Twang! The Ikelos, transformed into knights wielding greatbows, loosed their arrows. The creature reacted with terrifying speed. It had been wary of us from the start, so the moment the shots flew it twisted its massive frame and swatted the arrows aside with its claws. How the hell did something that big deflect arrows like they were flies?

I hadn't expected a clean hit, but I also hadn't expected it to walk away completely unscathed. The opening gave the Gourmet Deer time to steady itself and regroup. Then came a heavy silence.

The Gourmet Deer. The Irregular Laserdon. Our adventurer party. In the three-way standoff, no one wanted to make the first move. Everyone understood that whoever twitched first would eat an attack from both sides. It wasn't a complete mismatch, but the tension was thick enough that nobody dared act recklessly. The silence didn't last long, though.

"Huff!" The Gourmet Deer, patience exhausted first, slammed into the Laserdon. The moment those massive horns connected, the frozen battle exploded back to life.

"It's a melee now, everyone stay sharp!"

"I'll handle the Laserdon!"

Our original plan had been shredded from the first clash, so I scrapped every part of it.

"Everyone out!" I called the hidden Ikelos and Rune Golems into the open. The massive golems charged, throwing their weight forward, and both monsters finally turned to face them. Every time those giants traded blows, shockwaves ripped outward, shattering rocks and snapping trees like twigs. Any normal person would have frozen at the sight, but I was different.

Slash!

"Uwooooh!"

"Should've watched your legs!"

The instant a Rune Golem's fist smashed into the Gourmet Deer's face, I slipped through and carved into its leg. It was a position where one wrong step meant getting kicked or crushed flat, but every movement had been calculated. I confirmed Umbra slicing the hind leg from the opposite side, then darted back. The Gourmet Deer's hoof slammed down exactly where I'd been standing a heartbeat earlier.

Just standing near that thing had to hurt, yet it only glared at me with bloodshot eyes. Not a single stagger, not a hint of weakness. I could practically feel its "you die, I die" resolve radiating off it, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

This is what a real fight feels like.

Back when I first became an adventurer, something like this would've sent me into a panic. Now it actually felt welcome. Looked like I'd adapted to the Northern mindset without even realizing it. This was a sensation you could never get in the Central region, and for the first time in a while I felt like I was truly, properly fighting.

During our brief standoff the Gourmet Deer finished healing its wounds and charged again. I rolled sideways to dodge the head-on rush ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that would have killed even a Silver-rank adventurer, then immediately had the Rune Golems deploy their Gravity Field.

"Pruuk?!"

If the gravity had simply grown heavier, it might have powered through, but having its whole body suddenly floating completely neutralized its footing. The panicked creature kicked at empty air. In zero gravity, there was no easy escape. Its greatest strength, speed, was now sealed. A perfect opportunity, and I wasn't idiot enough to waste it.

But the harder the Gourmet Deer struggled, the weaker the gravitational pull became, and the distance between us was still too great.

"Tsk. Farther than I calculated."

Running straight at it would let the beast break free before I arrived. I quickly pulled out my Mystery and searched for the skill I'd bookmarked earlier.

"I was planning to learn this later."

I'd originally intended to unlock something for Summoner or Tamer first, but the situation had gone far beyond picky choices. The moment I confirmed the experience points were just barely enough, I unlocked it without hesitation. Every last point I'd saved vanished, bottoming out my reserves, but I didn't care. Right now, every ounce of power I had was going toward the Gourmet Deer.

Knowledge flooded my mind. I moved my mana and activated the skill instantly.

Flash!

My body vanished and reappeared as if the world had been edited like a program, landing squarely on the Gourmet Deer's back. Suddenly finding a human rider, the beast twisted violently in shock, trying to throw me off. I answered with a welcoming sword thrust and laughed.

"So this is Blink!"

The skill I'd just unlocked was an exclusive escape tool for magic classes and an incredibly useful ability back in Argo Saga. Without job bonuses the experience cost, cooldown, and range were all worse, but now that it was real I could pay any price necessary. Short-range spatial movement was a universal staple skill that worked in any situation.

While sorting through the new knowledge in my head, I gripped the Gourmet Deer's fur with all my strength.

"Huuuuff!"

When you're riding a rampaging animal, the first priority is stabilizing your center of gravity. No matter how powerful its legs were, if I didn't balance properly my weight would throw it off in every direction. I twisted at the waist and held on like my life depended on it.

That opening let Umbra, Adela, and Neon pour on the attacks. They dodged the kicks that would cause serious injury on contact and focused fire on the legs. The Gourmet Deer's movements grew noticeably slower. Realizing this, it tried to trample the three of them, but the Ikelos kept jumping in to act as living shields.

"Ha, haha! You'll never catch me!"

Neon, the most annoying of all, clung to an Ikelos's back and sniped from a safe distance like the dirty coward he was. The Gourmet Deer's rage, already boiling from the black magic hitting it directly, finally hit its limit.

"Huuuuff!"

The human on its back, the ant obsessively targeting its legs, the monsters attacking from every angle; all of them were irritating. But the most infuriating by far was that black mage. The moment he began raising his dark power, the deer knew. That man was its destined nemesis. It had never seen a black mage before in its life, yet the instant their eyes met it felt an enmity that could only be described as mortal.

"Huff!"

The objective changed. It might let the others live, but that one was going to die. The situation had already come this far. Resolved to burn everything down and die if necessary, the Gourmet Deer fixed its blood-red eyes on Neon.

"Uh oh...? Something feels really wrong..."

Neon, sensing that murderous gaze, instantly recalled every traumatic experience he'd survived. The months the young Nepentula had hunted him. Drawing aggro in front of thousands of War Ants. Luring monsters inside the Edenberg Ancestor's ruins. And now this.

"Reverse! Reeeeveeeerse!"

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠survival instincts honed over the past several months screamed at him. Neon pounded frantically on the Ikelos's back, screaming for it to back up.

"Neon!"

"Argo! That thing's after me!"

"Don't worry!"

"Argo...!"

At his reliable comrade's shout, Neon's face flooded with emotion. Sadly, there was nothing I could actually do to help. I was busy riding a rampaging Gourmet Deer like a rodeo cowboy. Besides, even without my help, his thoroughly honed survival instincts would probably keep him alive anyway. So I struck a fighting pose toward my deeply moved comrade.

"You can do it!"

"Argo...?"

"Give it everything you've got!"

His expression flipped instantly to pure betrayal. I almost laughed but held it in. If I laughed now, black magic would definitely fly my way next time. I wouldn't die from it, but I also didn't want to be on bad terms with a comrade for the rest of my life, so I took a small precaution.

"Grrrng!"

"Grrrrng!"

Three Ikelos took up positions around Neon. They would serve as shields or distractions if needed. Neon gave a quick word of thanks, raised his dark power, and began taunting the beast. Sometimes the only way to stay safe was to draw the monster's full aggro so your comrades could finish the hunt.

"You want me that badly? Then come and get me!"

"Prurrrruk!!"

"Hiiik?!"

The provocation worked beautifully. The Gourmet Deer charged straight at him, ignoring the Rune Golems and Ikelos attacking from the sides. Neon shrieked and fled. Using every trick he'd learned from months of nonstop monster evasion, he directed the Ikelos he was riding and escaped far more efficiently than the summons could have managed on their own. It was so effective I started wondering why he'd even asked for help in the first place.

Right around then...

"Kwooong!"

"Prurruk!"

The Laserdon that Arash and the other summons had been containing finally broke through the encirclement and sank its teeth into the Gourmet Deer's neck. Normally the deer would have dodged such a telegraphed attack with ease, but every ounce of its attention had been locked on Neon. It missed the timing completely.

The Gourmet Deer, vital point bitten, thrashed desperately to survive.

"Damn it! It got the Gourmet Deer!"

"Attack before it kills it!"

We'd lost our prey to an unexpected counter. Our faces twisted with urgency. Even though the Laserdon was a monster, it should have been bothered by Neon, yet it showed zero interest. I couldn't help but stare in disbelief. Even Adela, who'd been with us the whole time, would at least glance at Neon during fights. How could a monster we'd just met show absolutely no interest? I was genuinely curious just how deep its obsession with the Gourmet Deer ran, but we couldn't let our prey be stolen.

We charged the Laserdon as it shook the deer violently by the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠neck. The beast exhaled a rough snort, glanced at us once, then fled without the slightest hesitation.

"Huh?"

It didn't even look back. I found myself standing there with my mouth open, staring.

I didn't know how many bizarre sights I'd witnessed today. A monster that had obtained a Mystery, a monster that maintained a symbiotic relationship with humans, and now a monster that chose to run without hesitation in the middle of battle.

......Come to think of it, every single one of those descriptions fit the Irregular Laserdon perfectly.

"What now?"

"Chase it! We absolutely cannot let it get away!"

I snapped back to my senses at Neon's question and quickly mounted an Ikelos. We'd chase first and figure out the rest later.