Liam felt like his body was lighter than ever before. He was managing to dodge the bites despite the numerical advantage. Dancing around the spiders’ and hollowlings’ reach while using the longsword’s superior reach to hit the monsters. It felt like they were moving in slow motion; his reaction speed was much faster than it’d ever been.
Is this what I’ve been missing out on? This is unreal; everything is so much easier to pull off and react to. It’s exhilarating.
He managed to cleave one of the spiders in half, right down the middle as it tried to jump on him. Its massive frame did most of the work thanks to gravity while he just held the blade steady. He was shifting through offence and defence in a fluidity he’d trained for but had never been able to pull off before.
He felt claws dig into his gut, though the adrenaline and the mana surging through his system numbed the pain somehow; he still had to grit his teeth through it before swinging his sword at the creature with a horizontal arc. The hollowling’s head flew off its neck, leaving the creature looking like a tree stub.
The number of creatures was dwindling, but so was his mana. It wasn’t as if he had much to begin with anyway. He knew he needed to finish fast or risk killing whatever remained while suffering mana exhaustion. He didn’t know how that’d feel firsthand, but according to what he’d seen before, it wasn’t exactly a pleasant sensation. He’d witnessed plenty of mages and healers in training back in the academy keel over and pass out from it.
He stopped defending anything that wasn’t vital. Pain was preferable to playing it safe and risking exhaustion. That to him sounded like giving up, and he didn’t do that. He took the bites and the claws as long as he decided they weren’t going to cause instant death. Pushing through the excruciating pain and rather unfortunately stacked odds that would’ve most likely made anyone else quit and try to run, he kept trimming down the numbers. First, another spider was gone, then the hollowling, and finally the last spider.
The aftermath of the battle was Liam collapsed face down on the grass, surrounded by the gore of bodies cut down, blood, and spilled organs. He’d done it even though he hadn’t lasted long enough to enjoy his victory. He’d collapsed the moment his blade had gone through the last spider, leaving it inside. He’d lost consciousness before he’d even fallen down.
It was squarely evening when his senses returned to him. His eyes fluttered open, taking in the darkness of the surroundings instead of the light of the afternoon sun which had been up when he’d collapsed. He then noticed that he was shirtless and lying on a bedroll; there was a fire lit inside the fire pit. The tent was set up behind him; yet again, it seemed that Melissa, who was sitting by the flames, had set up camp while he wasn’t able to.
It took him a while, but he noticed the clearing was the same one he’d stopped inside to catch his breath, which meant she’d dragged or carried him from the treeline to here. He wasn’t sure which option he disliked more. While the idea of being dragged on the dirt and grass wasn’t exactly great, he couldn’t say he loved the idea of being carried like a child by her either.
She must have noticed his movements since she just turned around to glance at him from her seat.
“There you are. I was wondering when you would recover and wake up. I would not recommend moving around much; mana exhaustion does tend to linger. I have healed you, but that does not mean you are fully recovered from the side effects.”
He tried to move his arm. That simple movement immediately confirmed her words for him. It felt like every tiny mana vessel inside his skin was bursting and restitching. It was a pain worse than even the spider bites. He grimaced and stopped trying to move. It was clear even the most basic of movements were going to be borderline torturous until the effects wore off.
“I am guessing you did not know how it feels to exhaust one’s mana. Nobody who has experienced it would have tried to move so soon after just regaining consciousness.” Read the latest chapters at NovelPing.
Her tone almost sounded playful and teasing.
Is she having fun from my suffering?
The thought lingered for a moment before he dismissed it. It didn’t make sense, she’d told him to not move around before he stupidly tried to do so anyway, if she was enjoying his pain then she’d have just not spoken at all. He figured it was more of an I told you so moment than actual satisfaction from his pain. He couldn’t exactly blame her for it; if someone’d ignored his warnings and suffered the consequences, he’d probably act the same way.
“How long do you reckon I’ll be unable to move?”
“Not too long, I assume. You did not seem to have used up much mana, which means you’ll recover the amount back quicker than the usual person going through this. I also did patch you up and channel some into you as well, so you are not exactly starting with an empty reserve either. It is not usually good practice to supply mana into another, but given the tiny amount I gave you, there should not be any issues.”
The thought of having her mana inside him for some reason felt like something intimate; he couldn’t say he disliked that feeling. It was like she’d shared something with him that she wouldn’t with others. Of course, he didn’t know if that assumption was correct or not and had no way of confirming it for himself beyond asking, and he wasn’t planning on doing that. The idea just seemed idiotic, to say the least.
Melissa slowly approached him with rations in hand.
“You are probably rather hungry after being passed out for that long, as well as the general exhaustion. Here, have a bite.”
Her extended arm, offering the pack as she knelt beside him, seemed like a lifeline. He grunted as he tried to sit up and take the offered meal. The pain was now bordering on tolerable instead of excruciating. He managed to sit up after a few attempts and assistance from her.
She is stronger than she looks; I hadn’t expected her to be able to actually help me sit up in a meaningful manner, but damn was I wrong. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
He took the food, his stomach growling at the sight. He could feel heat rising to his cheeks due to how audible it was, but the hunger was more pressing than trying to hold on to dignity he’d lost long before his stomach announced his hunger. She’d seen him in far more undignified situations than merely hungry.
He was done with the food at an astonishing pace, given the very notion of biting was painful. Every movement of his jaws and throat was met with protest from his body; still he soldiered on, this time spurred on by not stubbornness nor pride but pure starvation. Every few bites drew groans of pain from his throat, yet the bland pack of rations was devoured as if they were the most delicious thing he’d eaten in a very long time.
“Seems the pain is starting to die down a little. I have seen plenty of people fail to eat after waking up. You are recovering very well, Liam. At this pace you should be fine by tomorrow morning, and we can keep going.”
The words ignited back the competitive fire inside him. He remembered why he wanted to push so fast in the first place. He still wanted to be her equal in exploration and then be the one who took her further than the idiots who’d disappointed her before. His eyes shone with determination as they locked on hers.
“I’ll get us to that boss floor and beyond no matter what.”
The statement was an oath to her and himself at once; he wanted to get her there, and he needed to know he could do it. He’d progressed faster than anyone in recent memory, and he didn’t have any desire to slow down now. He just needed to beat some packs of monsters and a boss to get there; nothing he hadn’t done before. Perhaps this confidence would’ve felt stupid just some days ago, but right now it felt earned. It was clear he was a late-blooming prodigy; his progress had shown as much to him and the rest of the guild.
“I just remembered, one of the guild workers asked me if we wanted to be his contracted party. The benefits are good, and since we’d be his first contract, he said he’d give us preferential treatment. What do you say?”
Melissa closed her eyes, appearing as if she was considering the offer. Finally, she let out a sigh and opened her eyes. To Liam, it’d felt like an eternity even though it had only been a few moments.
“I do not see a reason to refuse if you think it is a good idea. Worst case we can just dismiss him, I suppose.”
Her agreement lifted a weight off his shoulders he didn’t know was there. When they returned, he’d let the lad know, and they’d be earning even more.
If we’re going to be earning more, perhaps I can get her something like jewellery, just to show my appreciation for all she’s done for me, of course.
Now he had even more reasons to delve deeper. There was more money to be made from cores found deeper into the dungeon after all. His determination doubled; pain was slowly but surely becoming a distant memory. He was already planning for the boss fight in his mind even though he had no idea what the boss was. All he knew was that he’d beat it.