Until You Have Nothing Left

"...Huff!...Huff!...Huff!..."

...RARWWW!...

...BOOMMM!...

"...ARGHHH!..."

As Vier got knocked down and stumbled on the ground due to the impact of the Dark Blast skill that barely missed her, her thoughts started to wander at something.

...How long has it been since the Black Weretiger Monster appeared? It feels like an hour already but it's probably not more than 10 or 15 minutes. How long since this monster begin chasing her? Well, she didn't bother to count either...

As Vier got back on her feet, she tried to dismiss those unnecessary thoughts in her mind. For those thoughts are not important at all. What matters is they're all still alive.

Enduring the injuries caused by the impact of the Dark Blast skill, Vier once again moves to lure the Rank 6 monster that is hunting her away from the unconscious Neo Heroes and from where Felin and Mifumi are.

...ROARRRR!!!...

The Black Weretiger Monster roared, aiming to stun Vier with the Dark Attribute imbue to the sound of its roar. But Vier, who has already seen this attack and its effect, has figured out a way to counter the monster's roar.

"That thing won't work on me!... Puro-III... Sound Grenade..."

...SCREECHHH!!!...

The screeching sound of the Sound Grenade canceled out the roaring sound, and the Dark Attribute Potion that Vier drank as Mifumi healed her broken left arm gave her a bit of immunity to the Dark Attribute that was imbued into the sounds of the Black Weretiger's roar. Using those two methods, Vier was able to avoid getting stunned by the monster's roar.

But even after finding a way to counter that stunning roar, Vier's chance of survival still hasn't changed.

...RARWWW!!!...

...BOOMMM!...

After dodging the Dark Blast skill, the Black Weretiger Monster charged straight and rammed its head into Vier.

...RARWWW!...

"Puro-III... Shield!..."

...BAMMMM!!!...

"...ARGHHH!!!..."

Vier tried to protect herself using her Aurichalcum Shield but she was knocked away by the impact of the Black Weretiger's tackle and landed tenths of meters away from that monster.

...Of course, this will eventually happen...

That's Vier's thought as she lay down on the ground while enduring the pain all over her body.

The Rank 6 Black Weretiger Monster is obviously much faster compared to Vier. She's only alive until this point not because of her ability to escape and dodge its attacks but because the monster is allowing her to run away.

That is how a strong predator hunts a weak prey. It's giving the prey a sense of hope that it might be able to escape by allowing it to run away at first and slowly replacing that hope with despair by toying with its prey. That's how the Black Weretiger Monster wants its prey to taste as it devours the weak prey. To remove all of its hope and have nothing but its despair.

But even after realizing that, Vier once again stands up.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Black Weretiger, but I'm not gonna taste like that, and you won't even be able to have a bite on me!"

Without any signs of desperation in her voice, Vier looks at the Black Weretiger Monster with determination in her eyes as if to say she's ready for the monster's next attack.

Seeing its prey still full of hope to live, the Black Weretiger Monster roars in rage.

...RARWWW!...

"Are you getting tired already? You can stand up and run away if you want but you won't be able to escape from me."

...RARWWW!...

"What is it? Did I say anything wrong? Isn't that what you mean by that roar, Mr. Black Weretiger?"

Vier tries to stay positive and gain some confidence by making fun of the monster in front of her as she tries to guess what its roars mean.

But somehow, the Black Weretiger Monster became more angry after hearing Vier's remarks.

...RARWWW!!!...

Seeing the Black Weretiger Monster casting its Dark Blast skill again, Vier enhanced her body by using her Mana to increase her speed. That's how Vier has been dodging the monster's attack up until now.

...BOOMMM!...

With her Shield in her right hand, Vier made a jump to dodge the monster's Dark Blast skill. And once again, the Black Weretiger Monster charged towards her, aiming for another rammed attack.

...RARWWW!!!...

"Sheesh... I already saw that one!... Puro-III... Explosion Grenades!..."

Puro-III understands the request of its master. Using its Storage skill, Puro-III released 4 of Vier's Magic Items called Explosion Grenade in front of Vier's Shield.

...BOOMMM!!!...

Before the Black Weretiger Monster can reach Vier, the Explosion Grenades in front of her Shield explode causing an explosion strong enough to send Vier away from the Black Weretiger Monster.

Since Vier knew the timing of the explosion, she was able to make a perfect landing without stumbling on the ground.

...RARWWW!!!...

...BOOMMM!!!...

The Black Weretiger Monster used another Dark Blast skill again and Vier dodged it again using her trick with her Aurichalcum Shield and Explosion Grenades.

After landing on the ground tenths of meters away from the Black Weretiger Monster, Vier immediately ran away from it.

"You need to do better than that if you want to catch me, Mr. Rank 6."

...ROARRRR!!!...

"I told you! That won't work anymore!... Puro-III... Sound Grenade..."

...SCREECHHHH!!!...

...RARWWW!...

"Puro-III... Explosion Grenades...."

...BOOMMM!!!...

"Come on, Mr. Rank 6! I know you can do better than that! I'm not familiar with the Magic skills that you have but I'm sure there are more, right?"

To hide her fear and exhaustion, Vier continues to trash-talk the Black Weretiger Monster. She knows it wasn't a good idea to provoke the monster hunting her but taunting her enemy actually lifts her mood.

...And it's not like it understands what her saying...

As if she had jinxed herself with that thought, Vier witnessed the Black Weretiger Monster cast a different Magic skill.

...ROARRRR!!!...

...FLASHHH!!!...

"Ehh?... What kind of Magic is that?... Wait! I need to run!..."

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...Everything went dark...

After the Black Weretiger Monster roared, its shadows began to expand like a dome of darkness.

...I was swallowed by that darkness...

It expanded so fast that Vier wasn't able to get out of its range even after enhancing her body with Mana to increase her speed.

...It's like everything was gone as it all returned to nothing...

No matter how much Vier enhanced her sight and hearing using her Mana, she wasn't able to see or hear anything. Even with her sense of smell, Vier couldn't smell the scent of ground, trees, and the bloodstains in her clothes that came from her injury.

...Wait!...

...Am I even speaking or thinking about all of these things?...

...This is bad...

...I'm panicking...

...The nothingness of my surroundings is making me scarred...

...How long since I've been here...

...It's like I'm not even sure if I'm here...

...It's like all my senses are gone...

...It feels like I didn't exist at all...

...Huff!...Huff!...Huff!...

...This is bad...

...Ugh!!!...

...I'm scared...

With her sense of sight, hearing, and smell gone, Vier started to panic. She feels like her awareness of her surroundings is gone along with her awareness of herself. She wasn't even sure if she was speaking or thinking of all the thoughts that were in her head.

But before she starts to lose herself, she feels something moving beside her. Or more accurately to say, something is moving inside her belt pouch.

...shiver...tremble...shiver...tremble...

It is Poru-III.

As Vier felt the movement of her pet slime, she immediately realized that not all of her senses were gone. Her sense of sight, hearing, and smell may be gone, but her sense of touch that allows her to feel Puro-III's movement, along with her sense of taste which makes her aware of the taste of blood she has coughed due to her injuries, hasn't disappeared.

And most important of all, Vier realizes that she is not alone.

...Thanks, Poru-III. I'm really glad you're with me...

Getting herself back from almost losing her mind due to the darkness and nothingness of her surroundings, Vier tried to analyze the situation she was currently in.

The darkness that swallows Vier erases all lights, sounds, and scents in the surroundings. It's one of the Magic skills of the Black Weretiger Monster known as Darkness Field. It will trap multiple prey using the darkness dome, removing their sense of sight, hearing, and smell as the monster devours all the prey one by one. Yet, even after getting caught in its trap, the Black Weretiger Monster still hasn't come for Vier.

...Where is that monster? Why is the Black Weretiger Monster not attacking?...

As Vier, together with Puro-III, stands in the void of darkness, she tries to figure out the reason why the Black Weretiger Monster is not coming after her.

...Did this Magic skill also erase its senses? That's probably not right since this skill is its own Magic and it can still detect me by sensing my Mana. Is it possible that it can't detect me? Just like what happened back then?...

Vier's thoughts wander back to the time when she hid inside the ceiling of the Adventurers School lesson room for an entire week so her beloved teacher, Misaki, who was madly hunting her because of a certain incident, wouldn't find her.

During that time, Vier is drinking her Dark Attribute Potion to blend her Mana within the darkness of the ceiling so that Misaki won't be able to sense her Mana even when they're so close to each other.

It is a pseudo-stealth skill that Vier has created for her and her friends. To change the quality of her Mana by drinking an Attribute Potion and blending in with the surroundings.

Like the Dark Attribute Potion she drank earlier, which allows her to blend and hide along with Puro-III inside the Darkness Field skill of the Black Weretiger Monster.

...Fufufu... How is that, Mr. Rank 6? Come and find us, you stupid monster!...

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...Hmmm... Nothing is happening...

...Wait!... What if I'm actually trapped here? What if the Black Weretiger Monster already went after Felin, Mifumi-sama, and the Neo Heroes?...

...I can't wait here and do nothing. I need to know where that monster is...

...I have plan but it will be very dangerous for both of us, Poru-III. Can you trust me with this?...

...Well, it's not like you can speak so I will consider that silence as a yes...

...After all, we need to make sure that the Black Weretiger Monster will stay here until Felin and Mifumi-sama are done preparing the trap...

...We will give everything we have with this plan so prepare yourself, Poru-III...

...Give me the Light Attribute Magic Potion...

Vier's plan is very simple.

First, by drinking a different Attribute Potion and changing the quality of her Mana, the Black Weretiger Monster will be able to detect her presence.

Second, is to bet on how the Black Weretiger Monster will attack her.

If the monster decided to use another Dark Blast skill, then Vier would surely be a goner. She's going to be blasted and lose consciousness like what happened when she first received that Dark Blast skill.

If the monster decided to use another rammed attack, then Vier would be slammed into the ground or in the trees but she would somehow endure the impact because of enhancing her body with her Mana to increase her defense along with her Aurichalcum Shield.

But if the Black Weretiger Monster decided to bite her like what it did with Karna, then Vier and Puro-III would proceed to the third part of the plan.

...RARWWW!!!...

...CRUNCH!!!...

...BAMM!!!...

...Arghhh!!!...

As soon as Vier drank the Light Attribute Magic Potion and changed the quality of her Mana, the Black Weretiger Monster made its move.

Vier got slammed into a tree behind her as the Black Weretiger Monster charged to bite her. Yet its Fangs weren't able to reach Vier. After all, Vier's Aurichalcum Shield withstands the bite from the Rank 6 Black Weretiger Monster.

...Hahaha!... We won the bet, Poru-III...

With its mouth wide open from biting her Shield, Vier, and Puro-III can now proceed to the third part of their plan.

...Puro-III... Feed this idiot all of the Magic Item Grenades!...

...BOOMMMMM!!!!...

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PuroShark Writer's Note.

Here's a picture of what Vier's Aurichalcum Shield look like. Look at the comment.