’Tsk. I’m getting carried away.’
Riley mentally reprimanded herself as she landed and skidded backwards, her feet digging into the forest floor. Several meters from her previous position was a massive seventeen-meter-long emerald viper shaking its head after violently crushing into the ground.
Its green scales gleamed softly under the rays of light that cut through the canopy of the surrounding trees. The viper hissed as its tongue darted at her. Its long fangs were coated in a transparent liquid Riley recognised as venom.
Without hesitation, the emerald viper lunged at Riley with incredible speed, cutting through the foliage like a lawn mower. The creature detested it when other creatures ventured into its territory, and Riley was no different.
In a flash, Riley threw her backpack aside and blinked out of the way, employing one of her family’s movement techniques with cold precision. She had no intention of wasting time and precious Spark on some random beast.
Effectively evading the emerald viper’s lunge, she lunged at the viper herself, attempting to strike it when she noticed the viper’s tail swinging her way. In an instant, Riley forcefully switched from attack to defence, crossing her arms over her face.
Like a whip, the creature’s tail cut through the air, hitting Riley with devastating force. The strike sent the proud Ashford flying into a tree with a heavy thud.
Riley grunted, shocked and disoriented as she slid to the ground. Her hands trembled from the blow as she wiped the blood from her lips and stood up. The emerald viper was far more powerful than she had thought; probably at the mid-level of the first realm.
Realising her mistake in misjudging the creature’s level, Riley decided to use her abilities. She could not afford to hold back, or she might be eliminated.
’If only I had my weapon.’
Sadly, the academy didn’t give them time to prepare anything else. A storage ring would have saved her all this trouble.
The emerald viper swiftly turned around and rushed towards her, intending to end things quickly. Riley took off as well, closing in on the beast. She circulated her Spark and called upon her wind affinity — Pulsing Gale.
Unlike regular wind affinities, her affinity came from her bloodline. It combined the vibrational power of sound and the powerful force of wind into something quite deadly.
Halfway on her collision course towards the creature, Riley made a knife hand with her right hand and swung it in a vertical grey streak from the ground up. At her gesture, a sharp ring tore through the silence of the forest as a powerful wind blade erupted.
The sharp wind blade slammed into the emerald viper with the force of a speeding car, but failed to cut through its tough scales. The viper shrieked in pain and confusion, feeling disoriented.
Riley could not overcome the viper’s defences with just that knife hand gesture. She was not at that level yet. Regardless, the vibrational power in her gale disoriented the viper long enough for her follow-up strike. Without hesitation, she blinked and vanished.
Thoroughly enraged, the emerald viper shook its head and turned to the intruder once more. But the intruder was no longer in its sight. Suddenly, its bestial instinct stirred, prompting it to look up.
Before it could react, Riley descended from above and delivered a devastating palm strike infused with her ability right on the viper’s head. A sharp ringing sound like two metal rods colliding rippled through the forest.
An agonising shriek resounded from the emerald viper as it felt its body vibrate violently. The scales on its head cracked on impact. With a thud, the creature collapsed, bleeding from its head.
Though still alive, that attack had rattled its body with destructive force, leaving it weak and heavily disoriented.
Off to the side where Riley had landed, she coldly looked on as soft tremors travelled through the viper’s body. She waited for a moment before approaching the dazed creature.
She could leave the viper now that she had defeated it. But Riley was pissed. That blow from the creature’s tail had done a number on her hands and self-esteem. She was unwilling to let it go.
The head of the emerald viper reached all the way to her knees. That head size was more than enough to swallow someone like her with ease. Its massive body was sprawled across the foliage like a broken doll, unguarded and unconscious.
Riley beheld the viper with a piercing gaze, suddenly uncertain. Killing the beast would make a bloody mess without a weapon. She had no desire to soil her clothes this early in the survival trial.
Her skills were not refined enough to cut through the tough scales of the viper without making a mess, hence her hesitation. ’Count your lucky stars...’
Riley turned around and went for her backpack. As she swung it over her shoulders, her eyes darted around the trees, searching. She knew her fight with the emerald viper had been intense and loud.
Fortunately or unfortunately, she spotted no one. Either the battle had scared them away, or they were really good at hiding.
’He must have escaped by now.’
Once she regained her bearings, she took off once more. And this time, she had her guard up. Sadly for her, her guess had been right. She could not find the boy anywhere.
’No matter. I still have three days to find him.’
Meanwhile, Adam jumped down from his hiding spot in the thick of the canopy once he was sure the girl was gone. He had arrived just in time to see the girl utilise her powerful gale force. He looked at the defeated beast, then in the direction of the girl, seeing her in a different light.
Lowering his gaze back to the emerald viper, Adam was surprised at how calm he felt at the moment. This was his first time seeing a dangerous beast with his own eyes. Instead of feeling apprehensive, even if slightly, he felt almost nothing.
’I should appreciate my physique more.’ He stared at his left hand and clenched his fists. ’This Mythic Ranked physique is a lot more impressive than I imagined. I still have a lot to learn about what my body is capable of.’
Casting one last glance at the emerald viper, Adam turned around and disappeared deeper into the forest. He had also observed enough to understand a few things about that girl’s abilities.
Who knew wind could come with other attributes fused with it? It was an eye-opener for Adam, who could already generate wind force. The process combined multiple principles from the different branches of science. Adding what he had just observed from that girl, his understanding had increased once more.
With night fast approaching, Adam needed to find a place to rest for the night. Being out in the open wasn’t a good idea when night came. He needed to find a relatively safe place, preferably one around water.
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