Learned something new.

Chapter 28

Dane's breath hitched in his throat, the rasping sound amplified within the confines of his gas mask. The mimic acid attacks were relentless, a constant barrage of corrosive sprays that forced him into a desperate, exhausting ballet. He moved like a whirlwind, a blur of motion, each twist and backflip a calculated maneuver to avoid the sickening hiss and sizzle of the acid. The ground itself was his ally and his enemy; he used its contours to his advantage, low dashes and ground rolls keeping him just inches from the deadly splashes.

His movements were precise, born of necessity, each slash and stab of his weapon a continuous, unforgiving rhythm. He couldn't afford to pause, couldn't afford to be static, as the mimics surrounded him in a relentless, circular pursuit. With each frantic step, the landscape beneath his feet was torn apart, leaves and soil erupting in a chaotic storm, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Their fight was rapidly etching itself into the environment, the ground bearing testament to the desperate struggle, a chaotic carving as if a herd of rampaging beasts had laid waste to the area.

Adrenaline surged through Dane's veins, his heart a frantic drum against his ribs. He was a whirlwind of motion, driven by a primal urge to survive amidst the deafening chaos. The air vibrated with the clash of steel and the guttural yells of combat, a gruesome orchestra that somehow steeled his resolve.

Ironically, death held no terror for him now. The memory of his previous demise, the terrifying, suffocating sensation of his lungs failing, was a far more horrifying prospect than any blade or bullet. The agonizing eternity he endured in those last moments, his body slowly shutting down, etched itself into the core of his being. That was a feeling worse than anything imaginable, a pain he would never willingly relive, and it spurred him to fight with a ferocity born of true fear. He had stared into the abyss, and he would not return.

Dane was given a second chance to feel really alive and release all his emotion toward everything he hated and loved. He felt nothing was wrong in what he wanted to feel and experience in his second life; he wanted to gamble, but not in a way he would lose, but in a way that would make him truly feel alive and free from the darkness that had once consumed him. This time, he was determined to live without regrets and embrace every moment with passion and purpose.

This was making him feel alive for the first time, facing death again, but he will overcome it on his own terms. The moment his mana reached zero, he could no longer cast attack spells. This put a smile on his face as he knew he had to fight his enemy the old-fashioned way, like what his parents trained him to do in the face of those who could take his life away.

The spores, the very things he had desperately tried to avoid, had now taken root within him, the price of the brutal encounter with the mimic. Each slash and cut had been an open invitation for the insidious toxin to seep into his bloodstream. His breath came in ragged gasps, his vision blurring at the edges as the poison began its work. Despite the feeling of his body betraying him, an iron will surged through him. He knew he couldn't falter, not now. He had to defeat this monstrosity before the spores consumed him completely.

He used the terrain to his advantage, weaving through the thin, pine-like trees that dotted the cursed forest. Each tree, with its slender trunk measuring about five inches in radius and standing roughly half a meter apart from its neighbor, became part of his cunning strategy. The mimics, driven by their relentless pursuit, crashed clumsily against the trees, their bulk and speed hindered by the tight spacing.

A simple shift, a careful step between the pines, was enough to disrupt their attacks, granting Dane a precious moment to breathe. Although his body was screaming and his limbs felt heavy and numb, he was being guided by the wind that was picking up speed; he knew he was close to an open area.

Might as well walk backward toward the area, and even if already disoriented, he took out a flash grenade and will follow up with a smoke grenade and used the opportunity to distance himself from the mimic swarm and just run toward the path of land where light was breaking through the trees. The adrenaline pumping through his veins pushed him to keep moving forward; he pulled the pin and tossed the flash grenade and perfectly timed it. As soon as it exploded, he turned around and took out the smoke grenade and dropped it on the ground as he dashed away from where the smoke was and headed toward the small ray of light about a few meters away.

Dane compensated the distance as he was like drunk and his vision was blurred from the smoke. He could hear shouts and footsteps behind him, but he focused on reaching the safety of the clearing ahead. With one final burst of energy, Dane pushed himself forward and finally emerged into the open space, panting heavily but relieved to have escaped the chaos behind him. He rolled and took a defensive crouching stance with a katana on his right and a desert eagle on his leftt hand justin case. The mimic cross toward the small open space . No knowing he was being watch by a more agile being in same spot.

The opening wasn't that large; it was just about 200 square meters. I was near a spring, and the rock formation in the area was the reason the plant life could not take root in the place. Seeing that the mimic was no longer following him, Dane let go of his weapons as they automatically returned inside his storage. He grabbed his gas mask and pulled it away from his face and took a deep breath and gave out a loud exhale; as he sat on the grass, as soon as he saw the open sky above his head, he lay back on the grass and just stared at the blue sky.

"Can you give me time to catch my breath? Do you really need to point your arrow at my head?"

His voice echoed softly across empty space, creating ripples where silence had reigned just moments ago. The only sound he heard was the rustling leaves, but he was sure another being was watching him.

"What are you looking for? A voice vibrated in the wind ,

"I seek true freedom," replied Dane as he sat upright and stated his answer firmly, though his heart raced wildly beneath his breath.

In response, he hears laughter; it was clear and cutting tension. The person who was aiming at Dane's head emerged from the shadows, revealing a mischievous smile. "You seek freedom, yet you are bound at the worst place you could be in," the mysterious figure taunted, stepping closer with each word. Dane knows very well that the cursed forest has a few sentient lifeforms, and one of these beings was particularly arrogant and had high regards to its physical appearance, as they are one of the most vain creatures in the forest.

Dane's heart raced as he realized he was face to face with the infamous dark elf, a being known for its vanity and cruel tricks. With an exhausted feeling, Dane knew escaping this encounter would be no easy task.

Dane, who is well aware that dark elves are notorious for their craftiness and treachery, was so exhausted that he didn't even get up when the creature approached him. Knowing that he would have to outsmart this creature by taking advantage of its vanity, Dane prepared himself for any trick or trap that might be in store as the dark elf drew closer.

"Hmm, I don't think you came for treasure. You are more interested in testing your wit against mine," the dark elf sneered, its eyes gleaming with mischief. Dane knew he had to play along and engage in a battle of wits; the dark elf was not just vain but was also arrogant and overconfident in its own intelligence. But Dane wasn't about to get pulled into a to sittuation or a scenario he created.,

"I never expected the dialog I created in the past would be this cheesy!"

"What do you mean, cheesy, human?"

"Honestly, I just endured an attack from a swarm of mimics, and your overbearing confidence and arrogance are just as predictable. Let's see how you fare against a real challenge." The dark elf's smirk faltered slightly, realizing Dane was not intimidated by its bravado. "Fine," it said, a hint of uncertainty in its voice.

"I accept your challenge." With a confident grin, Dane prepared himself for the upcoming hunt, knowing that his quick thinking and strategic skills would be his greatest assets against the arrogant dark elf.

"I have killed nearly forty or more mimics. If you are the best hunter here, kill more than what I have accomplished. The dark elf's eyes widened in surprise at Dane's boast, clearly underestimating his abilities. Dane chuckled, knowing that the dark elf would soon learn not to judge a book by its cover.

"What will be our wager then?"

"If you can kill more mimics than me before the moon shines the brightest, you can have me as your slave."

"But if I win, you will grant me safe passage to the cursed cave. that is inside your clan's territory."

"You can count the dead mimics if you are not sure about the number. Just backtrack my path; you will see all of my kills are still there."

"Deal! Having a human as a slave will be the envy of others, especially if you are the only human that has entered this area alive."

The two shook hands, sealing the wager with a firm grip. The sun was nearing its descent; the dark elf was sure he would win the wager easily. But Dane was recalling and counted the remaining flash grenades in his dimensional storage: I still have eleven.

"I was hoping to save this when it's truly needed, but having safe passage in the cursed cave is important also."

"Human, I'll be back in a few hours. You can't escape me either way; I will be your master."

"Sure, sure, you can start anytime. Remember, the hunt ends as soon as the moon casts its light on this place, which is about four hours from now."

"Miko, did you register the dark elf's mana frequency?"

"YES, I CAN NOW TRACK HIS MANA FREQUENCY WITH A TWO-MILE RADIUS. I ALREADY FINISHED MAPPING THE AREA YOU TRAVELED ON."

"CALCULATING THE DISTANCE WHERE YOU CAN EFFECTIVELY DETONATE THE FLASH GRENADE, "

"great, let's move quickly then. We need to be strategic in our approach and catch him off guard before he realizes we're intentionally ruining his hunt."

"UNDERSTOOD, I'LL KEEP MONITORING HIS MANA FREQUENCY AND UPDATE YOU ON ANY CHANGES AS WE PROCEED WITH THE PLAN."

"MASTER DANE, I SUGGEST INCREASING YOUR STRENGTH TO A LEVEL 250, AND I CAN DUPLICATE ANY GEAR YOU HAVE INSIDE YOUR STORAGE, BUT IT WILL COST EXPERIENCE POINTS."

"What is my current experience point?"

"YOU GAINED 82 EXPERIENCE POINTS, KILLED 32 KOBOLDS, AND ELIMINATED 50 MIMICS."

"Okay, how much to duplicate the flash grenade??"

"ONE POINT PER ITEM,"

"Duplicate a dozen more, and the remaining experience divides it and equally puts it on strength and stamina."

"PROCESSING… CONFIRMED. ADDITIONAL FLASH GRENADES ARE DUPLICATED AND ARE IN STORAGE, WHILE CURRENT STRENGTH IS NOW 225, AND STAMINA IS 125."

"Mark the location where that dark elf encounters a mimic; let's make his hunting ground so bright he will never see a shadow again." "Understood, marking the location now."

"As soon as he starts, we will bombard his location with flash grenades."