Cheating time

The enraged Demonic Beast extended both arms forward to catch and maul Vincent to death. But he had already placed some distance between them.

Unknowingly, the Demonic Beast tilted its body almost enough to unearth its tail from the ground. But its tilting body soon came to a halt after slamming a heavy foot on the ground, momentarily regaining its stability.

*Bang!

Two swords suddenly poked out of its chest, surprising the Demonic Beast, Vincent, and Kazumi by this sudden occurrence.

Shortly, a nimble wolf girl gently fell like a cat on the red grass, rolled on the ground, and cautiously waited for the Demonic Beast's next move.

A few seconds before this happened, Lupa found a shield and decided to jump with all her strength. She planed to crash against the two swords she previously shoved in its back.

Her plan worked wonders as the force of the impact ended up pushing the Demonic Beast forward, robbing its shortly regained balance.

The rocky tail shot out of the ground, and the large, heavy body violently slammed on the ground.

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[Name] Nok Ape (Earth Demonic Beast)

[Condition] Heavily Injured, Medium Bleeding, Enraged, Frenzy, Devouring (Stage ten), Scared

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Vincent quickly inspected the fallen injured Demonic Beast before him. He wanted to know the result of their fierce assault. But regrettably, the Demonic Beast wasn't in a critical condition yet.

Vincent turned his gaze over to his injured shoulder. The mutated green blood previously seeping from his shoulder wound was replaced by his human red blood.

The pain he tried to resist intensified after Overheat stage one ended. As if Overheat allowed him to endure a certain amount of pain.

The Demonic Beast stayed lying face flat on the ground. It gave the impression that it passed away, not moving any limb while staying still like a corpse.

However, the inviting and unguarded pose didn't last long. The Demonic Beast started to hyperventilate and sometimes gasping for air. Whatever it planned to do, it stayed lying on a pool of blood. As if the final moments of its life arrived.

"Lupa, stay on guard. It's heavily injured, so it might play us as the Great Yok Boar did. Let's leave it alone to die from blood loss." Vincent said before he turned facing Ester and continued, "I need to check on Ester. Thank lady luck for having four heals."

"Okay." Lupa nodded while keeping her sharp golden eyes stuck on the Demonic Beast.

[I agree with your decision; a cornered beast is the most dangerous. We don't know if it's waiting for us to get close and retaliate.]

Vincent appreciated how Kazumi was on the same page as him. The feeling of someone watching over him allowed Vincent to notice how significant her presence was in the fight.

Vincent approached Ester with a worried frown. He noticed the mudcrab shield resting on her body.

The destructive impact the shield received caused a few ropes to loosen while others to snap. This however caused her arm to break in the process after it slid from the rope.

Vincent gently removed the shield filled with the concern of what he might find. He felt terrible after his eyes picked up a broken arm.

Vincent didn't know if Minor Heal would magically fix her broken arm, pointing in the opposite direction. His eyes soon noticed the pouch of numb paste hanging on her waist.

[You better use some of it on your shoulder if you are going to do what I think you are going to do.]

"Hehe, ugh... I can't surprise you with my actions, can I?" Vincent said while contorting his face in pain. The mutation stopped reliving his pain, and pain rushing to his brain receptors returned to normal. He couldn't resist the pain for much longer before blacking out.

"Let me apply some." Vincent opened the pouch of numb paste and calculated it was half-full. Then he applied some on his injured shoulder to numb the feeling of pain.

[Now that you will heal Ester, will you make sure she will heal by snapping back her arm to its original place?]

"You might be right." Vincent slightly nodded while letting a sigh.

"I'm sorry." Vincent moved his gaze on the broken arm. He apologized in advance for what he was about to do. Then he gulped to muster his courage and grabbed her broken arm.

[Ester is unconscious. So she won't feel a thing. Don't worry; you can do it.]

Kazumi tried to encourage him, but unlike her, Vincent is the one to do the deed.

Vincent gulped again for the second time. He gently moved his nervously trembling hands until...

*Snap

Ester's arm returned to its original place. Vincent then proceeded by uttering, "Soul Power Minor Heal, Soul Power Minor Heal."

.

[-10sp used for Soul Power Minor Heal on Ester. Blessed Retainer discount activate. 30sp Remaining.]

[-10sp used for Soul Power Minor Heal on Ester. Blessed Retainer discount activate. 20sp Remaining.]

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Kazumi remained stunned by how much Vincent changed. She didn't think he would muster his courage and snap her arm this quickly. She thought he needed a more significant push to do the deed like always.

'All the recent experiences he suffered in this world, the possible surge of negative emotions from his mutation and the cooked mudcrab meat might have helped him build new courage.' Kazumi thought.

Momentarily, a faint glow of light enveloped Ester. The glowing green light healing her entire body intensified on her arm as the healing mostly focused on that specific area. After the light did its job and faded, Vincent inspected her condition to see if he had to cast more Minor Heals.

.

[Name] Ester

[Condition] Minor Injury, Exhausted, Unconscious

[Soul Synch] 31%

[Class] Sigil Mage

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Vincent raised a happy smile at the pleasant notification hovering in front of his eyes.

Ester wasn't in danger anymore. Her breathing calmed down to normal, and the pained frown on her face relaxed.

[It worked, nice. Now you can use the remaining heals on yourself.]

-I will heal Lupa first.-

[What? You are in more urgent need.]

Vincent felt at ease after healing Ester. She wasn't in danger anymore, and Lupa didn't seem badly injured either. But he wanted to heal her first before himself.

'Inspection and Healing, huh? Surprisingly they are handy.' He thought about how lucky it was to learn two extraordinary abilities.

*Boom

*Roar

[Vincent! The Demonic Beast is charging at us! Quickly, grab the short sword and the mudcrab shield. The only other weapon in your storage is the wooden spear you sharpened.]

Vincent was surprised by the sudden loud sound, yet the telepathic voice entering ears allowed him to make a calm and quick decision.

Any other ordinary human might fluster watching a Demonic Beast rushing towards them, or others might take a few seconds to register what is happening before deciding to act.

Vincent knew he became an ordinary human, but beside him was Ester. He had to protect her no matter the cost from the Demonic Beast that was leaving a trail of blood behind.

It seemed more time had to pass for the Demonic Beast to die from blood loss. However, Vincent, Ester, and Lupa might get killed before that time passes.

Vincent had to intercept the Demonic Beast, but he could only use one arm, making him more useless than he already was. That's when an idea of a spartan hero rushed to his mind.

Vincent quickly grabbed the mudcrab shield and took the short sword from Ester's hand. Then he moved a few meters away from Ester to reduce the danger of getting injured.

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[1x Wooden Spear (Common Quality) summoned. x0 remaining.]

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Vincent shoved the tough mudcrab shield in the ground. He placed the short sword next to his feet and summoned the wooden spear.

Vincent shoved the spear in the ground and tilted its tip to point at the running Demonic Beast with the intention to impale the monstrous rocky ape on collision.

The final round was about to begin in a matter of seconds. Every massive heavy step the Demonic Beast took shortened the distance at a rapid pace.

Vincent only had one chance left. The final opportunity to kill or be killed, obtain victory, or suffer death.

Vincent soon noticed the Demonic Beast swaying its body while groaning from the deep wound. It was quite apparent that the Demonic Beast was also ready for the final confrontation. To end it all in one final clash.

[Prepare for a devastating crash! Place all your strength in your legs and hold your ground.]

The Demonic Beast used the momentum to shove its shoulder at Vincent with deadly force. But Vincent didn't falter. His legs instinctively obeyed Kazumi's suggestion while his hands obeyed his thoughts.

Vincent held the spear with a firm grip. He promptly tilted the tip to face the Demonic Beast's vulnerable chest. The decisive moment before the collision occurred, and the tip impaled its chest.

Something strange suddenly happened as this was taking place. Time quickly slowed to a stop. Vincent could clearly see the Demonic Beast barely moving for a few seconds before darkness quickly enveloped his vision.

Soon a patch of emerald grass, a green box in the middle, and a floating worried wisp entered his sights. Vincent got pulled inside his Soul Domain before the crash occurred.

[Vincent I brought you here.]

Kazumi worryingly circled around him.

[I hope the split second it took to enter the Soul Domain can help you to dodge the crash since the spear has already pierced its chest.]

Kazumi had an idea from the memory of when Lupa stopped frozen in mid-air, and the fly stopped fluttering its wings.

Vincent could see a frozen world before his conscious swapped places and changed the perception of time between the real world and the Soul Domain.

Since this situation was a do or die moment, she trusted the memories to pull Vincent into his Soul Domain and benefit from this timely transition.

"What do you mean helpful? Time stopped for both of us, and the Demonic Beast is still in front of me. How is that beneficial?" Vincent asked with a worried frown.

[Thats the point, before you go back to the living world, you would know what your enemy is doing, get a vague idea by their body placement, and exploit the split-second action.]

[Also, I timed it and found something beneficial; it takes around half a second to drag your soul to the Soul Domain, and the same time to go back.]

[However, there was a small difference in milliseconds every time you entered in your Soul Domain. That's why I said around half a second since the time is a bit different yet doesn't exceed thirty milliseconds.]