Against Shadow Fox

'Run bitch, run!'

I didn't even think of engaging the shadow fox and made a mad dash.

There was no way I was going to fight that thing!

'Whoever bought me in this world... I hope you stub your toe, you cocksucker!'

Don't those extras who reincarnate into novels get cheats, preparation time to clear challenges, and other things before facing dangers? 

Why was I dropped at the beginning of the entrance exam!?

I didn't get any time to prepare for this exam. And I was supposed to fight beasts without any supplies to boot.

You know what was worse?

There were two cheats on this island!

Yes, you heard me right, this was worse!

I had no choice but to struggle to get those cheats!

Whoever transmigrated me here definitely knew how hard it would be to clear the exam without preparation, but he transmigrated me to this place where I could get cheats, too.

The bastard made sure I wouldn't give up and keep struggling till the end!

This was an evil scheme! An evil scheme, I say!

Fwosh-

I ducked under the low branches and ran to the limits of my new body.

This was the first time I had run like this. I felt like a child playing hide and seek with his parents.

But it wasn't just about running. It was also about making sure the shadow fox couldn't catch up to me.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins. My heart beat rapidly, as if trying to escape from my chest.

It felt so good!

This was bad!

Even running was proving to be difficult. The moonlight was obstructed by the thick canopy. The roots were thick and a small misstep was enough to trip me.

I regularly glanced behind to see if the shadow fox was following.

Up till here, there were no signs.

The forest looked peaceful and serene. But I couldn't be fooled. There was definitely something watching me back there.

As long as the shadow fox was still chasing me, I would have to keep moving.

I took a deep breath, calmed myself down, and kept running.

However, my stamina wasn't unlimited.

"Huff...hufff"

Taking cover behind a tree, I doubled over.

'Is this how it feels to run with all your might?'

The feeling was difficult to describe. I was tired but rejuvenated. It felt amazing and painful at the same time.

'What am I thinking!? FOCUS!'

I took deep breaths. I had to start moving swiftly.

Besides me, all I could feel were shadows. The shadow fox could be hiding among them. An eerie feeling crawled up my spine at the thought.

The shadows were thriving in the night. My own shadow was stretching endlessly, mixing with the other shadows. I could only recognize my head, arms, and my... tail.

Slowly, I looked up.

Growl-

The yellow pair of beastly eyes glimmered to greet me. The shadow fox was looking down at me from top of a tree.

Swosh-

I rolled away without thinking twice and gripped my spear.

Bam-!

My body crashed against a tree and came to stop. The pain shot through my whole body, but I ignored it.

"Shadow Fox..."

Few meters away from me, at my earlier position, was a black fox. The fur that was darker than the night and the eyes that reminded me of plagues greeted me in their glory.

The shadow fox didn't attack and looked at me with a hint of interest hidden behind its eyes. 

Its carefree attitude made me realize a fact. It knew. It knew about me all along. I never ran away unnoticed by the shadow fox. It was only letting me run to enjoy its hunt.

I rose to my feet and held the spear in front of me.

The adrenaline increased even more in this perilous situation, making my mental and physical condition reach its peak.

'I can't run away. It's faster than me.'

The fight was unavoidable.

Swish-

I dashed to the shadow fox and thrust the spear. This moment, where it was underestimating me, was my only chance at winning. I can't allow it to use darkness.

I saw the shadow fox dodge out of the way and evade my attack.

"Crap!"

I was dumbfounded. That was how fast the shadow fox was.

The shadow fox jumped and dodged between the trees, leaving an opening.

"Watch it! Don't lose focus!"

I lunged forward to close the gap.

The shadow fox didn't use darkness. It used its agility to avoid my attack and closed the distance.

"[Pier-!!"

Clang-!

It deflected my spear upwards and, diving in without any hesitation, clawed at my chest.

The shadow fox again began retreating. However, I couldn't let off this chance.

"[Pierce]!"

I shouted the name of my only skill through clenched teeth.

The spear increased in length and its weight increased proportionally.

I swung the spear downward, the added weight serving to increase the force of my attack.

The shadow fox, who should have been out of my range, couldn't dodge this attack.

But my hopes were again betrayed.

Clang-!

A black tail blocked the spear!

My arms shook from the impact. In that small time frame, the tail swiftly lashed and threw me off the ground.

"Cough..cough"

My shirt felt damp and stuck to my body. A stinging sensation ran all over my chest.

The shadow fox once again closed the distance between us and slashed at me.

I was blown away.

Despite the pain, I forced myself to raise my head and check my surroundings.

"Ngh, No...!"

I couldn't find the shadow fox. It had started using darkness.

The situation was becoming more hopeless by the second.

I tightened my grip and tried to take a stance, only to realize that the spear wasn't in my hands. I had dropped it when the shadow fox attacked me earlier.

Combing the surroundings with my eyes, I found the spear in a few short seconds and lunged at it.

The spear wasn't enough to defeat the fox. But at this moment, I was a drowning man clutching at straws.

Rustle- Rustle-

The echoes came from everywhere.

I took a deep breath and focused on my hearing.

My injuries weren't fatal, but I was losing blood with every passing second and...

There was no guarantee this was the only shadow fox on this island.

I had to finish this fight quickly and run away. I decided to take a gamble.

Rustle-

I felt something moving behind me.

Swosh-

Without thinking twice, I swung my spear behind my back.

Clang-!

Unexpectedly, it was met with resistance, the tail to be exact.

But as I looked for the shadow fox, I realized that it was not there. My eyes followed the tail and realized it went behind me!

Twisting my torso with as much force as I could muster, I hurriedly swung my spear at the back.

Clang-!

The tip of the spear struck the claws of the shadow fox with a heavy sound.

My hands shook as I tried to stop the beast's monstrous strength and push it back.

Veins popped on my forehead, but I could only create an impasse at best.

The stalemate created an illusionary respite.

The shadow fox would soon overpower me even if it did not attack and only kept pushing.

This was the time.

Flicking my wrist against all the resistance, I thrust it forward.

I could hear a popping sound from my right wrist. Yet, I kept pushing. Gritting my teeth, I tried to stay focused amidst the onslaught of pain.

The tip of the spear was now pointing at the face of the shadow fox.

"[Pierce]!"

The tip of the spear shot forward and aimed at the beast's head.

Puchi-!

The beast's blood dripped down.

My attack successfully connected

Growl-.

But I wasn't able to bring the shadow fox down. The shadow fox had tilted its head at the last second and dodged my attack.

The spear missed its head and was logged into its shoulder.

Before I could do anything else, I met with the consequences of my earlier action.

Abruptly turning my wrist caused the deadlock to break, and the shadow fox easily overpowered me.

I fell back with the shadow fox on top of me.

Its claws, which were above my chest, dug and further blighted my wounds.

Blood flowed more profusely and lightheadedness attacked me.

The shadow fox triumphantly stood above me as if declaring that its hunt was complete.

But even through the agonizing pain, I kept trying to concentrate and maintain my focus.

'Please work.'

I raised my hand, and it barely reached the shadow fox's abdomen.

Seeing my futile struggles, it was as if the shadow fox decided that its prey could no longer entertain it.

It brought its tail near me. The silver tip of the tail was shining menacingly under the moonlight.

But before it could attack me, I moved.

VUPP-!

"[Pie…rce]"

The blade of the dagger that suddenly appeared in my hand elongated and pierced its heart.

The beast's eyes lost their shine, and it fell over me.

In the last seconds of its death, I saw confusion reflecting in its eyes. The shadow fox didn't realize how it lost a winning game.

A string of notifications appeared in my visions.

[Congratulations, you have killed a Lvl.4 Shadow Fox. You have gained 75 exp.]

[You have leveled up]

[Pierce] was a skill that elongated the blade of my weapon. The description never said I have to use only the spear. This was a misconception on my part, as I was only focused on using the spear.

Fortunately, I noticed this fact during the time I was going over my status at the clearing.

Still, this move was a gamble. On top of making sure that the shadow fox was as close as possible, I had to concentrate to circle my Aura and bring the correct object out.

Thankfully, due to the constant use of the storage ring throughout the day, I was able to take the dagger out of the ring without making any mistakes.

I tried to push the dead shadow fox lying on top of me.

The shadow fox corpse was heavy, and the pain wasn't helping much. Whenever I tried to move my arms, the pain flared.

I took breaths as I tried stifling my groans.

"I need.. to get away."

The most dangerous thing about Shadow foxes wasn't their ability to hide in darkness or use their tough tails to attack.

It was the fact that once you killed even a single one of them, the other shadow foxes would hunt you till the end of the earth.

I didn't know if they did so for a fun hunt or revenge. Nor did I care at the moment.

The only thing I knew was that there might be a shadow fox in the vicinity. And this meant that I had to run away quickly.