World Awakening: The Legendary Player-Chapter 60: Old School

Just as the farewolf lowered its massive head, a sharp crack echoed from the side of the clearing. A rock bounced harmlessly off the its thick hide.

"Beast!" Serian’s voice rang out, strained but carrying a note of command. "Turn your gaze to me!"

The farewolf’s head snapped up. Its red eyes swiveled to her, and a low growl rumbled in its chest. It took a slow, deliberate step in her direction, completely forgetting about Nox for the moment.

That was the opening he needed. He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the searing pain in his chest. He backed away quietly, putting a large, moss-covered boulder between himself and the monster.

’She bought me some time,’ he thought. ’Got to make it count.’

He used his Parkour skill, his feet finding easy purchase on the slick surface of the boulder. He scrambled to the top in a few quick movements. From his new position, he could see Serian slowly backing away, luring the farewolf further from him.

He focused, his posture shifting without a conscious thought. He held his hand out, his fingers spread, like he was holding the hilt of an invisible sword. The Weapon Mastery skill was active, and it felt natural, like he’d been a swordsman his whole life.

’Let’s see how you like this,’ he thought, and pulled on his corrupted mana.

He swung his arm down, and a blade of pure, dark energy shot from his fingertips. It wasn’t the solid, invisible strike from before; it was a wider, slashing arc of power. He sent another one right after it, then a third, aiming for the creature’s broad back.

The farewolf stopped stalking Serian. It turned its head and saw the slashes of dark mana coming for it. It didn’t try to dodge. It just opened its mouth wide and inhaled.

The dark energy seemed to unravel in mid-air, flowing into the creature’s mouth in shimmering streams. The red light in its eyes flared brighter, and its muscles seemed to swell. It let out a sound that was almost a contented sigh.

’So its true, this thing loves mana.’

It turned its full attention back to him, a hungry look in its eyes. He needed a new plan, and he needed it now. Serian was still on the other side of the clearing, trying to catch her breath, clearly in no shape for a real fight.

He looked at his own hands, then down at the forest floor. A small smirk pulled at his lips.

’Guess I’m going old school.’

He remembered what it was like back at school, that thrill of punching monsters.

"Nox, what is your intention?" Serian called out, her voice tight with concern. "You cannot hope to kill such a creature with a mere branch!"

He had scooped up a heavy, broken tree limb from the forest floor. It was thick and jagged on one end. "I’m not fighting it," he shouted back, moving away from the boulder and into the dense trees. "I’m just making it angry."

The farewolf shook its head, turning away from the boulder. It spotted him weaving between the trees and let out another angry roar, then charged after him.

’Good,’ he thought. ’Let’s see how you handle the tight spaces.’

He kept moving, using the trees as cover. He was faster and smaller, and he used it to his advantage. The farewolf was clumsy in the dense forest, its huge body crashing into tree trunks and getting caught in low-hanging branches.

He ducked behind a massive oak and waited. When it lumbered past, he darted out and swung the heavy branch as hard as he could, connecting solidly with the back of its leg.

The creature howled, a high-pitched sound of pain and surprise. It spun around, its claws swiping at the air where he had been, but he was already gone, hidden behind another tree.

"Come on, you big dumb animal," he muttered to himself, his heart beating fast. This felt more real, more dangerous than just throwing energy around.

He saw Serian moving on the other side of the clearing. She was throwing rocks into the bushes, making noise to distract the farewolf, pulling its attention away from him whenever it got too close.

’She’s got good instincts,’ he admitted to himself.

The farewolf was getting angrier. It started snapping at the trees, tearing off huge chunks of bark with its teeth. It was getting frustrated, and frustrated things made mistakes.

He saw his chance. The farewolf had its back to a steep, muddy embankment that dropped about fifteen feet. He moved quietly, circling around behind it. He picked up a sharp, heavy rock.

"Hey!" he yelled.

The farewolf spun around to face him. He threw the rock with all his strength. It hit the creature square in the snout with a wet thud. It wasn’t enough to seriously injure it, but it made it stumble backward in surprise.

Its back feet slipped on the slick mud of the embankment. It fought for its balance for a second, its claws digging uselessly into the soft earth, and then it went over, tumbling down the short cliff with a crash.

He ran to the edge and looked down. The farewolf was lying in a heap at the bottom, tangled in roots and vines. It was trying to get up, but its leg was bent at a weird angle.

’Broke its leg. Nice.’

He didn’t hesitate. He slid down the muddy bank, his boots digging in for control. He landed near the trapped monster, his makeshift club held ready. The farewolf snarled and tried to bite him, but it couldn’t get up. It was all rage and no power now.

"You’re not so fearsome when you cannot stand, are you?" he said, his voice cold.

He raised the heavy branch and brought it down on the creature’s head. Again, and again, and again, not stopping until the glowing red light in its eyes finally flickered and died.

The forest went quiet. He stood there for a long moment, breathing hard, covered in mud and a little bit of monster blood. He dropped the branch. He had won. Without any fancy magic, just a stick and a plan.

A blue screen popped up.

[Farewolf (Corrupted) Defeated!]

[EXP Gained: 8,000]

He stared at the number. Eight thousand. That was a lot.

Serian slid down the embankment and came to a stop next to him. She looked at the dead monster, then at him.

"That was an act of profound madness," she said, but a small smirk was on her face. "And yet, it proved effective."

"Yeah, well," he said, wiping some sweat from his forehead. "It worked, didn’t it?"

A new blue screen appeared, this one smaller and with a different header.

[Bonus Reward Earned: Unorthodox Victory!]

[New Skill Acquired: Primal Strength (Active) - Lvl 1]

[Description: Temporarily flood your muscles with raw power, significantly increasing unarmed damage and Strength. Causes a heavy drain on Stamina.]

He read the description, a slow grin spreading across his face. ’Primal Strength, huh? Could be useful when mana is not useful.’ He dismissed the screen just as Serian spoke again.

"Are you well?" she asked, her gaze steady. "You seem... distant for a moment."

"Just thinking," he said, turning to look for a way back up the embankment. "Uh, those things travel in packs?"

"Uhhh," she looked up the embankment with him, "Run?"

"Run."

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