The remaining wolves were terrified. Their bodies trembled as they cowered in fear, unable to lift their heads to face his twisted, ferocious visage.
On top of that, the 50% boost to his Strength made his domineering aura grow even denser and more oppressive.
Arthur didn't stand there enjoying their fear. He didn't have the luxury of time. Fifteen seconds was far too short.
He pushed all his Skills to their limits, finished off the two injured wolves, then lunged at the third.
[ +16 XP ]
[ +22 XP ]
"Fu*k you all."
With every attack, another corpse hit the ground. Inside, he was cursing nonstop, but at the same time, he didn't allow anger or hatred to cloud his judgment.
There were still too many wolves around him, and it was obvious, there was no way he could kill them all in just fifteen seconds.
Not to mention, he had already surpassed his limits long ago. The moment the effect of "Primal Predator" ended, he would collapse, and most likely lose consciousness.
'Damn it.. I endured all that suffering just to delay the appearance of Primal Predator Instinct Supreme Awakened for as long as possible, but even that isn't enough. If this fight continues, I'll die.'
Cold sweat poured down his body as intense anxiety gripped him. Worse still, his mental strength had dropped sharply, leaving him barely able to think straight.
'What can I do… I need a solution. Wait, should I run? I've broken their formation, there are gaps I could exploit… but can I keep running? If they catch me, I'll be completely exhausted.'
Running was the logical choice, but his battered body made it unlikely to succeed.
He wasn't fast enough, and even if he put some distance between himself and them in the few remaining seconds, the wolves were excellent trackers and would follow him easily.
'Damn it.'
[ +20 XP ]
He cursed again and, at the same time, crushed the head of a Rank E wolf. Unlike before, he didn't spend the Evolution Points he just gained and kept them for later.
Seconds dragged by. In just five seconds, he killed seven wolves, a decent number, but he didn't feel any satisfaction. Instead, his anger and despair grew as he saw more wolves approaching.
'This won't stop, how many of these bastards are there?'
He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, to cry, to shout anything, but nothing came out. Only exhausted breaths and gasps escaped him. He was powerless.
In the midst of his despair, all his instincts suddenly screamed, warning him of a more dangerous monster approaching, one of a higher Rank than him.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, wishing that when he opened them, he would find himself waking up from this nightmare.
'It's useless. There's no hope left. I'm going to die.'
He felt his legs grow weak, all his resolve slipping away. He gave up, wanting everything to just end.
For the first time in his life, death seemed like an acceptable option. And why not? With it, all his suffering would end. His fear and pain would disappear.
His body slackened, his steps faltered, and the light of life dimmed in his eyes.
"No."
He suddenly shouted, shaking his head violently. His entire body tensed again, completely erasing the thought of death from his mind.
'I won't die like a coward. I won't die in fear. I won't let some cursed beast eat me just so I can feel relief. Damn the pain. Damn the suffering. I'll endure. I'll fight. I'll run.'
Determination filled his eyes. He tore apart a nearby wolf, then, without any hesitation, ran around the area and stored all the corpses in his "Dimensional Storage." After that, he fled at full speed.
Collecting the corpses cost him a second of time, but he wasn't about to leave behind the spoils he had paid for with his blood and flesh.
If he survived, then his survival had to be complete, with all its benefits. And if he died… Well, that didn't really matter anymore. He had already accepted death and made peace with himself.
All the remaining wolves immediately chased after him, howling and growling as they ran.
They tried to catch him and make him stumble, but they couldn't keep up. The gap between them quickly widened, and he disappeared behind the dense trees.
Due to the increase in his Attributes, his Speed rose sharply. He was covering dozens of feet in a single step, easily clearing small obstacles.
Even so, it wasn't enough. He could still feel that his enemy was not slower than him.
Without hesitation, he spent the few Evolution Points he had saved during the previous seconds on Speed, and with the 50% boost effect, his speed increased even further.
He ran through the forest like the wind. Within the nine seconds he had, he covered nearly a mile, greatly widening the distance between himself and his enemies.
But suddenly, his strength gave out. His legs stumbled, and a severe dizziness washed over him.
At that moment, the system screen appeared in front of him, bringing bad news, news he wished he would never see.
[Alert]
[The effects of the "Primal Predator's Instinct Supreme" Skill have ended. All your Attributes have returned to their normal state]
'No, not now. I can't stop.'
He clenched his teeth and fought the urge to collapse. With great difficulty, he regained his balance and forced his exhausted legs to move, continuing to run against his will.
The wolves were still chasing him, and despite the large distance between them, any hesitation meant death. If he stopped now, he wouldn't be able to run again.
His heart pounded at an absurd speed, like an engine about to explode.
His muscles tore with every step, and his vitality and mental energy burned away like highly flammable fuel.
Blood flowed from every part of his body. His eyes were barely open, his vision completely blurred, and he could barely see where he was going.
Boom!
He slammed into a thick tree trunk and shattered it into pieces like a bulldozer. He didn't stop.
He didn't slow down even for a moment. In his mind, there was only one thought—run.
He no longer knew why he was running, or how long he would keep running. With the last remnants of his consciousness, he kept muttering:
"More… more… more…"
Unexpectedly, his despair and the merciless way he was burning his own body allowed him to increase his speed, pushing past his limits, if only slightly, and widening the distance between himself and his enemies.
Seconds passed, then minutes, then hours. After two and a half hours of nonstop running, covering a distance of a hundred miles filled with all kinds of obstacles, he finally reached his limit.
His speed had slowed down a long time ago. What he was doing now was nothing more than slow, staggering walking.
During those two and a half hours, his massive, muscular body had become extremely gaunt.
His bones were visible through his skin, his wounds had festered, and the blood had dried over his body, making him look like a walking corpse.
Thud!
He stumbled over a small rock and fell to the ground. His dull eyes closed, and without the ability to think about anything, he lost consciousness.
Awooooo!
From far behind him, many terrifying howls echoed through the forest, announcing that it was not over yet.