Let's Take a Loss
Let's Take a Loss
You had to be more careful of an old wolf than a big one.
After all, surviving to old age in that harsh wilderness meant it had that much wisdom and hunting prowess.
In a head-on fight, a big wolf might have the advantage, but you could never let your guard down around an old one. You never knew when or how it would go for your throat.
And that story didn't only apply to wolves.
Anywhere, growing old in a harsh environment was synonymous with having survived.
The Mountain Lord, this forest's resident boss, was no exception. Why the hell it had "mountain" in its title when it lived in a forest was something I was damn curious about too. But it wasn't that important, so let's move on.
What mattered was that this bastard was a survivor.
It was born a great tiger.
That must have been a clear advantage for survival. It probably had almost no match.
But even accounting for that, the Deep Layer where it lived was swarming with monsters.
Man-eating plants were everywhere, and high-level monsters were thick on the ground.
Life had luck as a factor, so there must have been times when it was unlucky enough to fall into danger.
But despite all that, it must have overcome them.
Using that physique and the cunning of a shrewd animal.
Of course, I hadn't actually seen those battle scenes of it.
But I could tell even without seeing. The countless scars all over its body were proof of those fierce battles.
Its strength didn't come from mere physical ability. It came from the long years it had endured.
And so the beast had survived in this forest until it grew old.
That was why it was called Noho, the Old Tiger.
Old was not a pejorative. It was the explorers' praise, filled with awe.
Even if its body was declining and gradually weakening, that cunning would shine brighter than ever.
In short, I was fucked.
I was already outmatched in pure combat ability, and on top of that, the beast was more cunning than any monster I'd ever seen.
'When was the last time I ran into it?'
It was back when I'd gone deep into the Deep Layer without knowing what I was in for.
I met it then, and I was driven nearly to the brink of death.
With a desperate effort, I at least managed to leave a scratch on its flank, but that was all.
Even with my regeneration ability, it was at the level where the fight itself was almost impossible.
And even its tenacity was terrifying.
Last time, it had chased me past the Middle Layer all the way to the Surface Layer.
Honestly, I'd had a stroke of luck back then. I happened to shake it off, and a different monster happened to be right in front of me, so I could smother myself in its blood scent and erase my tracks.
If luck hadn't been on my side that time, I wouldn't be in this world right now.
'So what about now...?'
Well.
My face scrunched up of its own accord. I couldn't come up with a very positive thought.
The one thing that was certain was that if I wanted to live, I had to run like hell.
Swish—! Shoo-ook—!
As I ran, I kept throwing daggers toward the beast whenever I got the chance.
The thing was so huge I didn't even need to aim.
Honestly, I wasn't sure if they had any effect.
Normally, I tended to refrain from throwing daggers like this.
Good-quality throwing daggers were pretty expensive, and I couldn't recover them if I threw them while running away like this.
But right then, I had no choice.
If it could hinder its pursuit even a little, I had to accept the loss.
"Haah, haah, just a moment, it's too fast...!"
"No. If we stop, we're dead!"
"Haah, but...!"
"Ugh."
At one point, Im Ha-neul was so slow that I just picked her up and carried her. One person doing the running was faster than two people running together.
For a moment, a thought even crossed my mind.
She's an Otherworlder anyway, so could I just ditch her and go...?
But I threw that thought out fast. It wasn't like she was some complete stranger. How could I do that?
For now, I figured I'd bring her along as far as I could manage.
"?!"
The moment I hoisted her onto my back, I heard her startled gasp.
"Hold on tight. I can't spare a hand to support you right now."
I said that and broke into a run again.
Her enormous... well, something enormous pressed against my back. Very firmly, too.
Since I couldn't support her with my hands, Ha-neul had no choice but to cling to my body as tightly as she could.
Squish.
Every time, that soft, heavy sensation pressed thickly into my back.
How to describe it... it felt like a warm water balloon was bearing down on me. Honestly, wasn't this alone enough to make her worth saving?
If I had my way, I'd have liked to savor the sensation a bit more, but there was no time for that. A monster was chasing after us.
And the truth was, looking out for her wasn't just about us being on friendly terms.
"I'll ask for a little magic."
Like I said before, she was a support-type wizard.
Even if the effect was weak, it'd be better than nothing.
Shwooo—
When she chanted the spell, wind coiled around my feet. It was a spell called Haste.
A simple spell that lightened the target's feet a little.
Couldn't be simpler. But right then, there was no better buff than this.
"Grwaaoo!"
Even so, shaking off Noho was not an easy thing.
There were limits for a two-legged human.
But it was fine. At least we were maintaining the distance. I didn't have the slightest thought that we could shake it off in one go. This was going to be another persistent chase.
The scenery changed rapidly. Huge trees passed by in a blur and gradually shrank.
It meant we were slowly returning to the Middle Layer.
It must have been far outside its own territory by now, but Noho kept chasing us without a care. Determined to make us prey no matter what.
Soon, the beast swung its front paw toward us. I quickly ducked.
Hwooong!
An incredible pressure of wind grazed above my head.
Several trees were sliced clean through and toppled to the ground. The trees in the Middle Layer weren't exactly small or flimsy, but as expected, the beast's strength was monstrous.
'This isn't working.'
At this rate, it was obvious we wouldn't be able to outrun it.
So what should I do?
I had to make it turn back on its own. I had to wound it, make it think that chasing further would be dangerous.
Even for this thing, it didn't have the stamina to shuttle between the Deep Layer, Middle Layer, and Surface Layer like going for a stroll.
And it had to brace for the possibility of running into competitors once it returned to the Deep Layer.
Noho could be called the ruler of this forest, but that didn't mean there were no jackals eyeing it up.
So the conclusion was simple. I wound the beast. Then I somehow ran away again.
The plan was roughly set. Now was the time to act.
Just then, I saw a huge tree blocking our path ahead.
I said to Ha-neul.
"Let's hide behind that."
"Huh? But that thing is chasing us! It'll find us right away!"
"No, listen. I've got an idea."
So as I ran, I quickly explained the plan to her. This time, her role was especially important.
"...Got it."
Once she'd heard the whole explanation, she nodded resolutely.
Soon we arrived at the front of the tree we'd picked. We hid behind it without hesitation.
Then we made our preparations and quietly waited for the opportunity.
"..."
Thankfully, that opportunity came quickly.
"Grrrrng!"
The beast had stopped in front of the tree.
With its keen sense of smell, it must have known we had stopped behind here.
An immense killing intent pressed down on my skin.
I shook off my hesitation and immediately thrust my spear toward the beast.
Originally, it would have reacted. It might have swung its paw to crush me even if it meant taking the wound.
"Grraang?"
But this time, the reaction it showed was confusion.
That was only natural. Because right then, the beast would be seeing two of me.
It was a simple trick woven with Illusion Sight.
I smirked inwardly.
'Got it.'
In that brief moment, a lot of deliberation would be racing through its head.
Which one was real? Which one should I attack? No, what if both were real?
And that confusion became hesitation.
That much hesitation was something even I could exploit fully.
Fwooshk—!
Soon, the strike I'd prepared pierced through the beast's front leg. The attack bit into its flesh more smoothly than I'd expected.
Considering its massive bulk, it was not a large wound.
But it was a clear injury that was bleeding. It could not be ignored.
Having seen that much, I let out a small cheer of triumph.
'Got it!'
Now, if I could just run well, I could survive.
Having thought that far, I was about to grab her again and flee.
And that was when it happened.
Hwoong—!
The beast's ridiculously huge front paw swung.
Not the right paw that I'd wounded, but the left front paw.
I quickly raised my spear to block the attack.
But that was as far as the attempt went.
Because the beast's attack wasn't aimed at me. It was aimed behind me, where Im Ha-neul was.
"Huh?"
Shrrrak—!
With a ferocious sound, its front paw struck her body squarely.
Before she logged out, she turned her gaze toward me one last time.
"Ah, don't, Yor...!"
Fade.
With those final words, she died and logged out.
And so all that was left was the wizard's hat fallen on the ground.
"...Heh."
A hollow laugh escaped me.
It had figured out at least who the caster was during the time it was under attack.
That's why it attacked the one it found more troublesome before me.
It really was a cunning bastard.
"Grrrrr?"
The beast cocked its head.
It must have been its first time seeing an Otherworlder, too.
Seeing a corpse turn into particles of light and vanish was bound to be a shock the first time you saw it.
"..."
To be honest, I hadn't taken any damage.
She was an Otherworlder, after all, and she'd be back in three days after she revived, acting like nothing had happened.
If anything, she'd taken the attack I would have taken, so you could say I'd conserved stamina thanks to her.
But what was this foul feeling?
Even if there was no real loss, watching a friend get attacked and vanish right in front of my eyes wasn't a very pleasant sight.
"You rat-bastard cat."
So I decided to change my stance a little.
I would run.
But I'd already wounded it, and we were all the way down in the Middle Layer.
Couldn't I afford to run a little late?
So it seemed fine to take my time, just a little.
I grasped my spear and made a small cut on my own skin.
Slither, slither, the blood that seeped out thinly coated the spear blade.
"Let's add one more scar today."
It'd be a little dangerous, but shouldn't the beast have to take a little damage too?