As I approached the summit, my senses remained sharp for any sign of danger. Suddenly, a movement in the underbrush caught my attention. I stopped dead in my tracks, squinting to identify the threat.
To my surprise, a group of loorgs emerged from the bushes, blocking my path to the top. But these were not ordinary loorgs. Like those near the resurrection point, these appeared stronger, more lethal than the ones I had faced before.
Their scales were thicker, and their claws sharper. Their eyes glowed with a fierce intelligence that hinted at a far greater danger. I slowly retreated, silently cursing for encountering such a formidable group.
I quickly evaluated my options. Fighting so many reinforced enemies at once would be unwise. I needed to employ more subtle tactics. Fortunately, my camouflage cloak still concealed me from their sight.
Stealthily retreating, I began to circle the group, staying hidden among the dense vegetation. My new enchanted bow and sharp arrows would be crucial once again.
I would have to eliminate them one by one without raising suspicion to avoid alerting the loorgs higher up. Even though I was much stronger and could deal with them, it was better to be safe.
The first loorg slightly separated from the group, sniffing the air. It was my opportunity. Loading an arrow, I carefully aimed and fired. The arrow flew with a whistle, hitting its target in the neck. The loorg collapsed silently.
Before the others could react, I had already reloaded and aimed at the next one. One by one, my lethal projectiles began to leave a trail of bodies without the group knowing what was attacking them.
Unfortunately, they soon realized. Seeing another of their kind fall, the remaining loorgs became alert, scanning the surroundings with furious glances. I knew I had to act quickly before they discovered me.
Loading one last arrow, I calculated the perfect angle towards the group leader. The arrow whistled through the air, sinking deeply into its eye with a harsh sound. The alpha loorg shrieked in pain as the others panicked.
Due to this, the last loorgs noticed me, but I had anticipated this. Moving at full speed, showcasing the true potential of my ankle brace, I attacked the remaining loorgs with precision using my knife and axe.
After collecting the arrows, which I wasn't going to abandon due to their high cost, I headed towards the summit once more.
As I moved through the last meters towards the top, I could feel the cold rush of anticipation coursing through my veins. There, somewhere, lay the crystal fragment that could grant me a new form of adaptation and, in turn, a new form of attack.
Upon reaching the summit, despite being hidden among bushes and moving very slowly using my camouflage cloak, I was detected by a specialized detection loorg, which made a shrill sound to call other loorgs. But this was no ordinary detection loorg.
Like the other reinforced ones, it seemed much more lethal and formidable than any other of its kind I had faced before.
Its sense of smell was sharper, its senses more refined. In a matter of moments, a horde of nearly forty loorgs emerged from the surrounding cracks and caves, alerted by the presence of their sentinel. I was completely surrounded.
I silently cursed as I evaluated my situation. Forty against one was not a good situation, even with my new abilities and equipment. I prefer not to take any risks and face them in small groups.
At this moment, I have two options: escape using my escape boots or face them.
No, I couldn't give up. After thinking it over, it would be better to fight them, as knowing about my presence means they would probably chase me, and I don't want to use the boots yet in case they have a time limit for use. Of course, if I encounter an alpha loorg, I will escape.
Clinging to my determination, I unsheathed my axe and knife as the loorgs closed in around me, their open jaws hissing in anticipation.
The first loorg charged with a beastly roar. Activating the speed-enhancing ankle braces, I darted to the side in a blur of movement, slashing its throat with a clean cut of my knife as I passed. Another loorg tried to pounce on me from behind, but it wasn't fast enough.
Soon I found myself engaged in a deadly dance, my weapons whistling and cutting as I carved my way through the horde surrounding me. One loorg fell, only for two more to take its place, a hydra of scales and fangs without end.
Gradually, the loorgs' attacks began to overwhelm me. Several grazed my flesh, but my regenerative powers were already working to close the wounds, without the need to use {Rapid Regeneration}.
At this point, it's better to sacrifice a bit of defense to kill the loorgs faster and avoid them piling up around me.
Thanks to this, I managed to distance myself from the loorgs. Of course, not without receiving a ton of wounds, but none deep or critical enough to worry me, and after using {Rapid Regeneration} once, they almost disappeared completely.
I moved to an area filled with trees, where I managed to create some distance. Thanks to this, I could use my archery tactic again. Thanks to my high stats, I could aim even while moving at high speed through the rugged terrain.
Loading my own bow, I fired a volley of arrows with deadly accuracy, taking them down one by one. But even as they fell, the remaining loorgs were already closing in.
When I realized the small area was ending, I prepared for melee combat once more. This time, I took the crystal fragments to imbue my weapons. Although most loorgs fell after one hit, some that I couldn't hit in critical spots or that didn't have deep wounds survived.
I only managed to imbue my weapons with corrosive mist when once again a wave of claws and tearing teeth was in front of me.
I don't know how long I was caught in that bloody whirlwind of battle, but when the last beast finally fell, I found myself panting heavily with several new cuts and scratches adorning my body.
My clothes were in tatters. This is another reason why I prefer to fight them in small groups and from a distance. I had just bought this military outfit and now I have to buy another one. My camouflage cloak was not much better, full of patches and now torn.
With the corpses of the loorgs lying silent at my feet, I finally could contemplate what was on the summit. There, embedded in a large protruding rock, was a fist-sized crystal emitting a soft green glow.
Approaching with reverence, I extended a trembling hand and touched it. Immediately, a surge of energy flowed within me, with a tingling sensation. New possibilities, new adaptations.
I smiled excitedly as I pulled the fragment from its rocky perch and wrapped it in a cloth before stowing it in a small cloth bag. With my trophy in hand, I stepped away from the massacre at the summit and began to descend the hill once more.
As I approached the summit, my senses remained sharp for any sign of danger. Suddenly, a movement in the underbrush caught my attention. I stopped dead in my tracks, squinting to identify the threat.
To my surprise, a group of loorgs emerged from the bushes, blocking my path to the top. But these were not ordinary loorgs. Like those near the resurrection point, these appeared stronger, more lethal than the ones I had faced before.
Their scales were thicker, and their claws sharper. Their eyes glowed with a fierce intelligence that hinted at a far greater danger. I slowly retreated, silently cursing for encountering such a formidable group.
I quickly evaluated my options. Fighting so many reinforced enemies at once would be unwise. I needed to employ more subtle tactics. Fortunately, my camouflage cloak still concealed me from their sight.
Stealthily retreating, I began to circle the group, staying hidden among the dense vegetation. My new enchanted bow and sharp arrows would be crucial once again.
I would have to eliminate them one by one without raising suspicion to avoid alerting the loorgs higher up. Even though I was much stronger and could deal with them, it was better to be safe.
The first loorg slightly separated from the group, sniffing the air. It was my opportunity. Loading an arrow, I carefully aimed and fired. The arrow flew with a whistle, hitting its target in the neck. The loorg collapsed silently.
Before the others could react, I had already reloaded and aimed at the next one. One by one, my lethal projectiles began to leave a trail of bodies without the group knowing what was attacking them.
Unfortunately, they soon realized. Seeing another of their kind fall, the remaining loorgs became alert, scanning the surroundings with furious glances. I knew I had to act quickly before they discovered me.
Loading one last arrow, I calculated the perfect angle towards the group leader. The arrow whistled through the air, sinking deeply into its eye with a harsh sound. The alpha loorg shrieked in pain as the others panicked.
Due to this, the last loorgs noticed me, but I had anticipated this. Moving at full speed, showcasing the true potential of my ankle brace, I attacked the remaining loorgs with precision using my knife and axe.
After collecting the arrows, which I wasn't going to abandon due to their high cost, I headed towards the summit once more.
As I moved through the last meters towards the top, I could feel the cold rush of anticipation coursing through my veins. There, somewhere, lay the crystal fragment that could grant me a new form of adaptation and, in turn, a new form of attack.
Upon reaching the summit, despite being hidden among bushes and moving very slowly using my camouflage cloak, I was detected by a specialized detection loorg, which made a shrill sound to call other loorgs. But this was no ordinary detection loorg.
Like the other reinforced ones, it seemed much more lethal and formidable than any other of its kind I had faced before.
Its sense of smell was sharper, its senses more refined. In a matter of moments, a horde of nearly forty loorgs emerged from the surrounding cracks and caves, alerted by the presence of their sentinel. I was completely surrounded.
I silently cursed as I evaluated my situation. Forty against one was not a good situation, even with my new abilities and equipment. I prefer not to take any risks and face them in small groups.
At this moment, I have two options: escape using my escape boots or face them.
No, I couldn't give up. After thinking it over, it would be better to fight them, as knowing about my presence means they would probably chase me, and I don't want to use the boots yet in case they have a time limit for use. Of course, if I encounter an alpha loorg, I will escape.
Clinging to my determination, I unsheathed my axe and knife as the loorgs closed in around me, their open jaws hissing in anticipation.
The first loorg charged with a beastly roar. Activating the speed-enhancing ankle braces, I darted to the side in a blur of movement, slashing its throat with a clean cut of my knife as I passed. Another loorg tried to pounce on me from behind, but it wasn't fast enough.
Soon I found myself engaged in a deadly dance, my weapons whistling and cutting as I carved my way through the horde surrounding me. One loorg fell, only for two more to take its place, a hydra of scales and fangs without end.
Gradually, the loorgs' attacks began to overwhelm me. Several grazed my flesh, but my regenerative powers were already working to close the wounds, without the need to use {Rapid Regeneration}.
At this point, it's better to sacrifice a bit of defense to kill the loorgs faster and avoid them piling up around me.
Thanks to this, I managed to distance myself from the loorgs. Of course, not without receiving a ton of wounds, but none deep or critical enough to worry me, and after using {Rapid Regeneration} once, they almost disappeared completely.
I moved to an area filled with trees, where I managed to create some distance. Thanks to this, I could use my archery tactic again. Thanks to my high stats, I could aim even while moving at high speed through the rugged terrain.
Loading my own bow, I fired a volley of arrows with deadly accuracy, taking them down one by one. But even as they fell, the remaining loorgs were already closing in.
When I realized the small area was ending, I prepared for melee combat once more. This time, I took the crystal fragments to imbue my weapons. Although most loorgs fell after one hit, some that I couldn't hit in critical spots or that didn't have deep wounds survived.
I only managed to imbue my weapons with corrosive mist when once again a wave of claws and tearing teeth was in front of me.
I don't know how long I was caught in that bloody whirlwind of battle, but when the last beast finally fell, I found myself panting heavily with several new cuts and scratches adorning my body.
My clothes were in tatters. This is another reason why I prefer to fight them in small groups and from a distance. I had just bought this military outfit and now I have to buy another one. My camouflage cloak was not much better, full of patches and now torn.
With the corpses of the loorgs lying silent at my feet, I finally could contemplate what was on the summit. There, embedded in a large protruding rock, was a fist-sized crystal emitting a soft green glow.
Approaching with reverence, I extended a trembling hand and touched it. Immediately, a surge of energy flowed within me, with a tingling sensation. New possibilities, new adaptations.
I smiled excitedly as I pulled the fragment from its rocky perch and wrapped it in a cloth before stowing it in a small cloth bag. With my trophy in hand, I stepped away from the massacre at the summit and began to descend the hill once more.
