Chapter 64: More Than He Expected

He leaped through the trees until he arrived at the location of his prey. ’Holy shit, is that a giant ant?’ The ant was devouring some smaller monsters that would give Yenna a bit of trouble.

’Now how do I fight this thing? I’m not at full strength so I need to be careful… yeah, right.’ He leaped down from the tree, as soon as his feet touched the ground, he attacked. He didn’t draw his sword yet, this time he wanted to fight barehanded.

The creature raised its mandibles in warning, letting out a shrill, metallic screech. Its sheer size made it a daunting opponent, but he didn’t care, to him this was perfect training.

“Alright, big guy.” He crouched, his legs enhanced with mana. “Let’s see what you’ve got.” He jumped up, aiming to land a punch to its head, but it easily dodged. He expected as much, so he threw a mana ball he’d been clenching toward it, it connected. The ant was confused, nothing was happening until its eyes twitched as a pain began rising in its body.

The ant screeched in agony, its legs twitching erratically as the mana ball disrupted its internal systems. Vell landed smoothly, watching the ant’s reaction with a satisfied smirk.

“Works every time,” he muttered, rolling his shoulders as he prepared for the next move. “Let’s keep the pressure on.”

[Where did you learn such an attack?]

“I practiced, nothing special really.”

[Right… you are more creative than your past self.]

“Thank you? That felt like an insult somehow.”

The ant thrashed wildly, its movements growing more erratic as the mana did its thing. The screeching reverberated through the clearing, a twisted cry of pain, of rage. Vell shifted into a low stance, ready to respond to any sudden counterattacks.

[It was not an insult,] the system chimed in with its usual neutral tone. [Just an observation. Creativity is a key factor in surviving against stronger foes.]

“Well, thanks for the pep talk,” he quipped, sidestepping as the ant lunged at him, mandibles snapping inches from his side. “But I don’t need a reminder. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

[Your overconfidence is noted.]

“Noted, huh? Add it to the list,” he muttered, dashing forward to exploit the ant’s momentary disorientation. With a burst of speed, he closed the distance, delivering a crushing kick to one of the ant’s legs. The impact cracked the joint, causing the massive creature to falter, collapse partially onto its side. The impact of the leg hitting the ground sent a shockwave through the earth, nearly throwing him off balance.

He regained his footing quickly, already planning his next move. The ant struggled to right itself, its damaged leg scraping uselessly against the ground. ’Good, keep it off balance.’

He dashed forward again, aiming to strike its injured leg once more. However, the ant anticipated his move this time. Its massive mandibles snapped toward him in a blur, forcing him to throw himself to the side to avoid being caught, but this did nothing as the attack changed direction mid-swing, landed square on his shoulder. He jumped back immediately, putting some distance between them as the ant slowly got back to its feet.

’Well shit, guess I was too careless.’

[Cough.]

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in.” He clutched his injured shoulder, wincing as pain radiated through his arm. The ant’s mandibles had sliced deep into his flesh, leaving a throbbing wound. He could feel his mana starting to work, sealing the wound, but it wouldn’t be fast enough to prevent a significant loss of strength.

’Dammit, it got me good,’ he thought, gritting his teeth. ’Can’t let it get another clean hit.’ He circled the ant, keeping his movements erratic to prevent it from predicting his next attack. The creature, though wounded, was still formidable. Its segmented body shifted, mandibles clicking menacingly as it tracked his movements with those compound eyes.

[Your carelessness has cost you. A more strategic approach would be beneficial.]

“Easy for you to say,” he retorted, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “You’re not the one bleeding out here.”

[I am simply stating the obvious. Your shoulder will limit your striking power significantly.]

“I noticed.” He kept moving, analyzing the ant’s behavior. It was favoring its injured leg, compensating by putting more weight on the opposite side. That created an opening, but only if he could exploit it without getting caught by those mandibles again.

He feigned a lunge to the left, then quickly changed direction, darting to the right. The ant, fooled by the feint, shifted its weight, allowing him to exploit its momentary imbalance. He leaped forward, channeling mana into his good fist, delivered a powerful blow to its exposed underbelly.

The ant let out a piercing shriek as the punch connected. Its body convulsed, a viscous, greenish fluid oozed from the wound. It staggered backward, clearly weakened but far from defeated. The fluid splattered on the ground, hissing slightly as it made contact with the earth.

[Effective, but not decisive. You need to finish this quickly before you lose too much blood.]

’Maaan, shut up, sheesh.’ He stepped back to assess the situation. The ant was severely injured now, leaking fluid from multiple wounds, but it showed no signs of giving up. Its antennae twitched furiously, it raised its front legs, preparing for another assault. The creature’s survival instincts were clearly overriding any sense of self-preservation.

’Persistent bastard.’

He shifted his stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground. His injured shoulder throbbed, limiting his options, but he still had one good arm. “Alright, big guy, this one’s going to hurt real good.” He started gathering mana into his remaining good palm, the glow intensifying as he concentrated. The energy coalesced slowly, taking more effort than usual due to his injuries.

[Careful, you are using too much energy. If you overextend—]

“I know what I’m doing!” he snapped, launching himself toward the ant with a burst of speed. The energy in his hand coalesced into a swirling, crackling orb, brighter than before. He could feel the drain on his reserves, but he pushed through it.

The ant reared up, attempting to crush him with its massive forelegs. The legs came down fast, creating whistling sounds as they cut through the air. He slid under its bulk at the last second, dirt and debris spraying up as he skidded to a stop directly beneath its vulnerable abdomen.

“Gotcha now!” He thrust the orb upward with all his remaining strength. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the creature’s body, for a moment time seemed to freeze. Everything went silent except for the crackling of concentrated mana. The orb exploded in a surge of energy, tearing through the ant’s exoskeleton, filling the clearing with an acrid, burning smell.

The ant’s body convulsed violently, its legs spasming as the mana tore through its internal organs. It let out one final, guttural screech before collapsing in a heap, its legs twitching weakly before going still. Green fluid pooled beneath it, steaming slightly in the cool air, mixing with the dirt to create a foul-smelling paste.

Vell staggered backward, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. “That… took more out of me than I thought,” he admitted, wiping sweat from his brow with his good arm. His injured shoulder was still bleeding, though slower now as his mana worked to seal it.

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