The small cube-shaped drone shot forward, spinning rapidly as it darted through the air and locked onto Windious's position. He stood his ground, calmly raising his massive axe while keeping his attention fixed on the incoming drone.
Clover only let out a quiet sigh before turning away. She walked toward a nearby tree and leaned against its trunk with her arms crossed.
"Windious, I don't have time for this. Finish it quickly."
The two Bullkin stepped forward at the same time. One gripped his massive axe with both hands, while the other slowly drew the massive greatsword hanging across his back.
"We'll teach this lowly player a lesson," one of the Bullkin said with a mocking grin.
"We may have the same axe, but size doesn't decide everything," Windious said as he looked up at the creature, who stood nearly three times taller than he was.
The first Bullkin suddenly burst forward, smashing his weapon into the ground. At the same instant, Windious launched himself high into the air, his body soaring upward before he hovered for a brief moment with his massive axe raised above his head.
A heartbeat later, his axe came crashing down. A thunderous impact exploded across the battlefield, sending violent shockwaves through the surrounding trees as the devastating strike was stopped by the Bullkin's massive greatsword.
Snuk roared in fury and swung his massive axe. Windious slipped past the attack with a swift movement, dropped beneath the Bullkin's guard, and unleashed a fast slash with his massive axe across the creature's stomach. Blood sprayed into the air the moment the blade cut through.
Snuk threw his head back and roared. "You insignificant insect! I'll crush every bone in your body! You think a tiny player like you can stand against a Bullkin? I'll split you in half!"
The battle continued for several more moments. Even though the two massive Bullkin possessed overwhelming strength and terrifying power, neither of them could keep up with the incredible speed of the player. Before long, cuts and wounds began covering both of their bodies as Windious continued to outmaneuver them.
Meanwhile, the livestream kept attracting more and more viewers. The audience count climbed rapidly, while the chat was flooded with nonstop comments as everyone watched the intense battle unfold.
During the middle of the fight, Windious suddenly shot backward. He flipped through the air several times before landing, dragging his massive axe across the ground to absorb the momentum until he finally came to a stop.
The remaining Bullkin suddenly looked panicked as he realized the human had already escaped.
"Damn it! That stupid girl got away while we were busy with this!" Snuk shouted angrily.
"Why the hell are you still thinking about her? We need to kill this player first before anything else!" the other Bullkin snapped.
"Idiot! I'm not letting my prey escape after coming this far!" Snuk barked back before suddenly turning around and breaking into a sprint.
"You brainless fool, Snuk!" the other Bullkin roared. "Are you seriously abandoning this fight now? Have you completely lost your mind? We finally cornered this player, and now you're throwing everything away because of one human girl? If you leave now and fail to catch her, don't even think about coming back with excuses! I'll make sure everyone hears what a useless coward you really are!"
"You deal with the player yourself! I'll be back soon!" Snuk's voice echoed as he disappeared deeper into the forest.
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Windious clicked his tongue before glancing over his shoulder.
"Clover, go after that Bullkin. Save the human NPC. Come on, the viewers are definitely hoping she'll make it out alive."
Clover let out a long sigh and pushed herself away from the tree she had been leaning against.
"You're the one who dragged this out. That idiot Bullkin only managed to escape because you kept playing around. If you'd ended it right away and chopped his head off, this would've already been over."
"Come on, Clover, just a little longer. We need the stream to last a bit. The viewers want a good show. It'll be easy for you anyway. You can catch him, and sure, you can kill him if you want. I'm just worried something might happen to that girl before anyone gets there."
"Then why don't you go after him yourself, you idiot? You're the one wasting everyone's time. We're in the middle of an important mission."
"Shh... Clover, don't mention the mission. I'm livestreaming."
Clover sighed once more before finally walking away. Even from the way she stomped off, it was obvious she was still annoyed by Windious's attitude.
**
Branches scraped across her pale skin as Lucia forced her way through the thick undergrowth. The sharp twigs left fresh cuts along her legs while she pushed forward without slowing down. Then her long dress suddenly caught on a tangled branch, throwing her off balance before she crashed hard onto the forest floor.
Lucia struggled to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her face had gone pale, and cold sweat covered her trembling skin.
She tried to stand, but her dress remained caught on the branch. Grabbing the fabric with both hands, she pulled with all her strength. After several desperate tugs, the cloth finally tore apart.
She widened the tear with another hard pull before climbing back to her feet. What remained of the once-long dress now barely reached the upper part of her thighs. Fresh blood trickled down from several cuts along her calves, painting bright crimson lines across her snow-white skin.
The crashing of broken trees and furious roars echoed behind her. The Bullkin was still chasing her, and judging by the sounds, he was getting closer with every passing second.
Lucia forced herself to run again. Her breathing grew heavier with every step, but only one thought filled her mind. She had to escape. She knew this forest better than anyone. If she could just find the river, it would lead her toward the main road. From there, she would have a much better chance of making it back to the village.
But... should she return to the village?
If she went back, the Bullkin might follow her there and bring disaster upon everyone else.
No.
If Lucia never returned, what would happen to Lula and the rest of the villagers? They would never know the danger was coming. She had to go back. She had to warn them and convince everyone to leave before it was too late.
"You can run all you want, human!" Snuk's furious roar thundered through the forest from somewhere behind her. "I'll find you no matter where you hide! When I catch you, I'll tear you apart piece by piece! No one escapes from me!"
Lucia threw herself forward once more. This time, her torn clothes scraped against a jagged branch, ripping open the fabric around her waist as another shallow cut split her skin. Fresh blood immediately stained the wound. She bit down on her lower lip, forcing herself to ignore the burning pain threatening to slow her down.
She had to run as fast as she possibly could. No matter what happened, she could not stop.
But her legs had already grown dangerously weak. Blood continued to stream from the cuts covering her body, soaking the torn fabric of her dress. If this continued much longer, she would lose too much blood before she ever escaped.
Then, in a single careless step, everything fell apart.
Lucia slammed into a thick branch jutting from the side of a tree. The impact threw her small body sideways before she crashed violently into a nearby trunk.
She remained motionless for a moment as fresh blood trickled down the side of her face.
Her vision had already begun to blur. Her body felt unbearably heavy.
Both of her legs were covered with cuts and blood, trembling so badly that she could no longer force them to move.
Meanwhile, the deafening crashes of broken trees and the Bullkin's thunderous footsteps drew closer and closer, shaking the ground beneath her.
He was about to catch her.
"I... I have to run..." she whispered.
She struggled to stand, but her exhausted body refused to obey. Reaching out weakly, she searched for anything she could use to pull herself up.
Then… Her fingers suddenly brushed against something warm.
Lucia's eyes widened in surprise as she slowly lifted her gaze toward the figure standing before her.
"You don't need to worry anymore." It was a man's voice.
By then, Lucia's vision had become so blurred that she could barely make out his appearance. All she could see was a head of crimson-red hair standing before her.
His voice, however, was calm, warm, and steady enough to make the overwhelming fear in her heart begin to fade, if only for a fleeting moment.
"You're safe now," he continued.
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