Runnning

'Shit! I missed!'

Willy quickened his footsteps when he heard Kestrel's scream. Willy realized that he had just made those who wanted to kill him even angrier. Imaginations of how he would be killed started popping up in his head.

"I'll make sure you would beg to die!" Kestrel shouted.

Kestrel's mouth started muttering. Her fingertips drew out a magic circle. Then behind her back appeared the appearance of wings created from accumulated Mana.

[Wind Wing - Tier C Magic Ability]

Kestrel shot like a bullet through the trees. The leaves swayed as she passed. Her eyes moved quickly, trying to find prey in the fog.

'Not enough.'

Her mouth was muttering again.

[Eyes of the Wind Spirit - Tier A Magic Ability]

Kestrel's eyes, which were originally green as young leaves, had now turned golden. Now she could see the flow of Mana moving in nature. Trees, animals, insects, grass. All were seen in different colours, like an aurora with rainbow colours. Now Kestrel could see the difference in objects details by colour.

Then she saw a trace of the Mana colour she hated so much.

'Got you!'

*swoosh*

Kestrel shot off at high speed. Willy, who could feel her presence getting closer, screamed in his heart.

'You crazy psycho!'

Willy's mind went wild. His heart raced as if it was about to explode, either from exhaustion or fear.

*Swooosh* *Booom*

The arrow grazed Willy's shoulder. Immediately he fell, then got up and started running again. The bleeding wound could only be ignored, even though the pain was throbbing in his skin. While the arrows pierced the tree and created a big hole at that same time.

'Damn! Does it always hurt this much?'

*Boom*

Now it was the turn of the ground in front of Willy's eyes that shattered into pieces. Willy turned back to find a way.

"Run! Keep running!" cried Kestrel.

Kestrel was playing Willy again, only this time more brutal and cruel. She poured more Mana into the arrow, then aimed it at Willy's skin. Deliberately didn't shoot at his vital point. The goal was for Willy to be injured and lose a lot of blood. That way, Willy would die slowly.

That was what Kestrel hoped for. But Willy didn't give up.

Willy kept running even though he was covered in blood. His eyes began to see red clouds. When the view was no longer clear, everything looked blurry, and his entire body began to lose power.

In this hopeless state, Willy seemed to see a familiar sight. Trees, ferns, deadwood, black stones, green moss. It was as if Willy had seen this before.

'It seems… I've been here before?'

Willy was experiencing deja vu. But the deja vu that Willy felt happened just yesterday. His head was trying to remember something. While he was thinking, Willy stumbled.

*Swoosh* *Boom*

'Ah, my hand slipped.' Kestrel accidentally let go of her arrow.

In front of Willy, once again, the ground and trees crumbled. Brown dust scattered, mixed with white mist. Luckily Willy stumbled. Otherwise, it might have been his crushed head. Thanks to that, Willy remembered something.

'The white deer! Here it was! Perhaps…'

Willy got up and entered into the scattering of dust. Willy thought that by getting into the dust, Kestrel would have a hard time tracking him down, unfortunately, Willy's guess was wrong.

"Still alive? Lucky bastard." An annoyed tone came from Kestrel's mouth.

Although previously she wished Willy was still alive, Kestrel became annoyed with Willy's luck. Then she shot another arrow. The arrow grazed Willy's waist and shattered the ground.

"Arrrgh!"

'You monster!' Willy cursed in his heart.

[Notification]

Safe! Ability <Constitution> has been added. The user's physical endurance increases.

---

'At a time like this?'

Willy kept running, not bothered by the notifications that appeared. Each arrow attack that shot only grazed, did not attack vital parts. Willy knew he was being played with, but he saw this as an opportunity to save himself.

Willy recalled the path he had taken while chasing the white deer. He thus slowed down his running speed, but his eyes moved fast, matching every detail of the white deer's running route in his dream. Although in exchange, Willy received more arrows.

'Is he slowing down?'

Kestrel smiled. Thinking maybe Willy was finally getting weak, Kestrel stopped the Mana draining <Wind Wing> magic. Now she felt she could relax torturing Willy.

Suddenly, the fog became very thick. The air became heavy, and the air was cold. A strange sound resounded, mana flow became indistinct and hazy. Willy was lost in the mist.

'Ah, forest defense magic.'

Kestrel thought, maybe it was because she had done too much damage that the defensive magic in the forest had activated.

'Damn. Hasn't the effectiveness of defensive magic been lowered?'

Alfheim was founded deep in the forest not without reason. The forest that surrounded Alfheim had defensive magic to ward off enemies. Magic was only activated if the damage was caused by Mana. But for now, the effectiveness of magic was lowered to a minimum. It was so that Midgard's troops could enter the territory of Alfheim in the previous battle.

Kestrel punched a tree. In her heart, she regretted taking the time to kill Willy. Now, she had lost her prey. All because of this fog. It was as if this mist had saved Willy. Still, Kestrel thought losing Willy was no big deal.

'He's already badly injured. He will soon die.'

Kestrel retreated, back towards her men.

Meanwhile, Willy was limping in a very thick white fog. The pain was felt all over his body as his wounds were penetrated by sweat. Because of this, Willy remembered the iron armour he had left while hiding in the horse's belly. Willy thought about what it would be like if he was still wearing the armour. Will the result be this bad?

'What am I thinking? Stupid. Maybe this is the effect of dying.'

*Bump*

Willy fell. His body was no longer able to stand up. No energy. No power. Losing a lot of blood. Such a sad way to die.

'But at least I didn't die at the hands of that crazy woman.'

Willy's vision blurred. His eyelids felt heavy, but he didn't resist. He let his eyes slowly close until only darkness remained.

Just as Willy thought it was over, a warmth embraced him.

Willy opened his eyes. The mist that clouded the air slowly faded away. Light began to appear as the green trees showed their form. Willy raised his head. Before him now stood a white stag with golden antlers. The same deer in Willy's dream.

'Apparently, my hunch was right.'

Then Willy felt a chill. The wind blew, brushing the surface of his skin, feeling like water washed over his skin. Not only that, the wounds on Willy's body miraculously healed.

The wind lifted Willy's body into the air, helping him to his feet. His body was energized again, as if re-charged.

"Thank you. White Deer," Willy said with a smile. In all his life, this was Willy's first time talking to an animal, he felt like an idiot.

The white deer walked around Willy, looking him up and down. It was as if the deer were judging him. Willy, who didn't know what to do, wondered in his heart.

'Now what?'

The deer then began to speak. "What does she (girl) expect from you."

'I wouldn't be surprised to see a talking deer.''

The White Deer chanted a spell, a magic circle formed above the ground. A blue light appeared that projected a woman in her mid-20s. But the face of the woman was not very clear, as if something was covering, from nose to eyes.

"Hello, William," said the Woman in the projection. Her voice was soft.

Willy was surprised his name was called.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Blair. I am the Prophet."