Chapter 285 - Prolonged Fight

For what Rynold thought to be a dragging fight was actually something milder.

Well, then again, it wasn't all that stressless either.

The six other hellhounds were on his trail constantly, leaving little to no room for Rynold to breathe. His opponents were attacking in a rhythm comparable to a group of veterans with rigorous training. That was to say, Rynold couldn't find an opening, much less a chance to fight back.

Rynold was on the defensive. While the six hellhounds surrounded him, attacking in turn, Rynold couldn't really strike back. They were fast, a little too fast for Rynold's liking, and small, making it difficult for Rynold to land a hit. If anything, these things were like six bullets that grazed him on every turn. Luckily, Rynold held up his defenses quite well, with close to no damage even after all the time that passed.

But Rynold was getting sick of it now, though.

There was only so much he could do. Defensively, that was. Rynold was getting more annoyed by the second. Every bite and every scratch landed on him caused Rynold to get more impatient. He needed to fight back. And, what pissed him off even further was the fact that he could've taken these things if they were alone. Rynold wouldn't believe that six of them caused him more trouble than it should.

Although, what was there for him to do? Rynold wasn't fast enough to fight these things, not unless he could manage to gain that much Agility all in one go. Rynold had to think outside the box, something that he was, more or less, good at doing.

'Cooldown's finished. Let's go.'

The very moment that the [Light's Discerning Eye] cooldown ended, Rynold quickly activated the spell. His body suddenly shone bright, causing everything around him to go blind. Or, that was at least how it would work.

Unfortunately, three of the hellhounds managed to avert their gazes. Whether it was by sheer dumb luck or skill, Rynold didn't know. And, to be honest, he didn't quite care either. All Rynold saw was an opportunity. He lunged out, striking at the nearest blinded hellhound.

Rynold infused his Mana Gauntlets in white light and slammed it down on the hellhound. The attack caused the creature to whimper while simultaneously attracting the attention of the three unimpeded hellhounds. Once they saw their brethren under fire, they dashed to its side. But, Rynold was one step ahead and wouldn't let the opportunity end just like that.

'Like I'll let you.'

At that moment, Rynold finally put the four octahedron drones to good use. While their scanners indicated the hellhounds' position at any given time, Rynold finally ordered them to attack the ones that were coming his way.

In retrospect, Rynold could've used the four drones earlier on. But, ultimately, Rynold decided not to because they were a bit too unpredictable to shoot.

Although, that was earlier. And this was now.

The four octahedron drones fired under Rynold's command. It was almost they knew where the hellhounds' paths were. But, in truth, it was all Rynold's doing. He accurately predicted where they would step and how fast the bullets would get to them. He did all this without even so much as looking up from the one he was fighting.

That said, Rynold slammed his fist down over and over, keeping tabs on the blinded hellhounds, the three after him, and Rynold's current target. Rynold didn't stop until he had effectively killed the hellhound he was after, reducing its bloodied body to dust.

'One down, five to go,' Rynold thought to himself as he suddenly felt a headache coming about. Doing multiple tasks at once might prove to be too much for Rynold. Even so, there was no point in stopping now.

While the blasts of Mana the octahedron drones fired weren't enough to kill the hellhounds, they at least kept some of the hellhounds at bay. It was only a matter of time until they would get to Rynold, so he had to act fast.

With that in mind, Rynold pulled [True Caliber] from his Inventory, aimed at the hellhound nearest to him, and fired two explosive shots. They exploded once the bullets made contact, eliminating yet another hellhound. And, with that taken care of, Rynold pointed the firearm to the last one.

Unfortunately, the last blinded hellhound wasn't there anymore. Rynold squinted before jumping back, realizing that the hellhound was getting the jump on him. Rynold managed to get away just in time, though. And, after the hellhound missed its target, it quickly followed up with a lunge.

'Please,' Rynold smiled and extended his drill. He whirred the weapon to life and rammed it straight through the hellhound. What happened next was a sight that would put an R-rated warning to any PG movie. Although Rynold admitted, it was effective.

After which, Rynold returned his attention to the other three. They were barely kept at bay and were getting really close to where Rynold was standing.

Fortunately for him, Rynold now had three fewer creatures to worry about and could put his sole attention on the others. He shrunk back his drill and changed his Mana Gauntlets to Speed-form. And, with a thought, Rynold fired a bullet towards the ground. He then followed by throwing [True Caliber] back to his Inventory.

With his plans in place, Rynold called off the drones. As soon as they realized that the drones had stopped firing, they charged at Rynold. Rynold, seeing the recklessness of the hellhounds, didn't back away. He just stood there with a glare filled with nothing but hostility.

One of the hellhounds moved faster than the other two and charged at Rynold with more speed and force to its approach. But, that particular hellhound failed to see where it was going. Because, out of nowhere, the ground it stepped on sprouted a tree. Said tree grew at unprecedented speed, trapping the creature in its wake.

"Can't believe that worked," Rynold smiled as he watched the tree grow. It wasn't tall as the others around it. Well, not that Rynold had that ability. But it worked well enough to trap the hellhound.

That said, Rynold's satisfaction was, well, cut short. The other two hellhounds were well on their way, with one of them jumping to bite him. Rynold caught the unhinged jaws with both hands and slammed the hellhound on the ground, letting go as the hellhound landed on the ground below. Rynold then spun and met the other hellhound with a kick, causing it to bounce off the ground in pain. Rynold had, for the most part, turned the tides of the battle.

Nonetheless, Rynold didn't stop and continued fighting. Having a clear advantage now, though, Rynold made quick work of the remaining two hellhounds. He dodged, struck, and punched with relative ease. To which, in the next few seconds, Rynold managed to kill both of them.

'That's that, I guess,' Rynold let out a breath as he looked around, making sure the coast was clear. While it was still dark out, Rynold didn't sense any other presence nearby. Following this, Rynold approached the Alpha Hellhound, which Rynold had no idea why it didn't wake up. 'I guess I injured it too much, huh?'

With a calm yet cautious demeanor, Rynold raised his Mana Gauntlet up high once more. He slammed it down on the defenseless creature, making sure the creature was dead. It barely took any effort, but it turned to dust all the same.

"Phew."

Rynold finally relaxed as he picked up the loot that dropped. He didn't bother looking into things that much, but he knew that the loot was good to somewhat great. It wasn't any better than his current setup, though. Well, seeing as how his gear was either handmade or Mana Bonded, Rynold wasn't really surprised. Then again, Rynold found one thing that stood above the rest.

From an aesthetic point of view, it was nothing more than a creepy-looking bone necklace. It shared some similarities to what one would see in a witch's den. Well, not that Rynold's ever been to one before. But, either way, Rynold shifted his attention to its effects.

===

[Howling Echoes]

Remnant Item

The remnants of a high-leveled Hellhound, this necklace has the power to call forth a Hellhound's abilities.

Active Skill: Hounding Trace

- Upon activation, a ghost of a Hellhound will appear to track a certain object designated by the user. Doing so will send the ghost on its way, allowing only the user to see its tracks. The Hellhound ghost will disappear once it reaches its destination.

- This ability will not activate if the target is not within a 10-kilometer range. The Hellhound ghost is only visible to the user.

===

The necklace was Rynold's second encounter with a Remnant item. Although the first one wasn't all that useful, the [Howling Echoes] was better in almost every way. Its logistical capabilities would prove to be something Rynold could definitely use.

Although, the only thing stopping Rynold from using it was the fact that he never liked wearing accessories.