Sprint

Eric couldn't help himself but chuckle as he quickly threw a glance behind him.

A pack of werewolves, with white fur and black pupils, was chasing after him.

They were accompanied by a group of skeletons running with all their might.

There were some kinds of snakes moving quickly from tree to tree, and something Eric could only describe as a phantom, with red eyes and a body made of mist, was following him.

"And to think all of them want to get a bite out of me… isn't that funny?" he muttered as he shifted his gaze forward.

Suddenly, an arrow struck between the plates of his armor, hitting him in his left shoulder.

Grunting through his teeth, he managed to hold on to the lantern as he continued his sprint.

"It's time," he spoke as he summoned his cursed sword in his right hand. Immediately, his desires amplified.

Voices in his head began to shout—some demanded he stop and surrender, others urged him to run with everything he had, while some wanted him to fight.

Eric had decided to risk it.

The idea was that while he was focusing on the pain of every single one of his amplified desires, he would forget about his physical restraints, allowing him to run faster and for longer.

The plan he had come up with was pretty simple, considering the time he had spent in the death zone.

Remembering the incident with the two Low-Grade 5 monsters he had met before, he knew two things,

First, due to the effects of his trait, 'The Cursed One',

'Creatures would do anything to devour your soul,'

The monsters would not give up their chase with the intention to devour his soul.

It seemed they wanted it so much they were even willing to enter combat with other monsters.

Second, the effect of his trait, 'Punching Up,'

'When facing stronger enemies, your abilities increase proportionally to their power,'

Would amplify his power if the monster was stronger than him. The effect was stackable, meaning the more strong monsters followed him, the stronger he would get.

And right now, he was the weakest thing here, so each monster chasing after him filled him with more strength.

The plan was basically to lure an army of monsters to the guardian, and while they began to battle it out, he would use the power granted by the 'Punching Up,' trait to scratch the guardian and then get the hell out of there.

"Easier said than done," he muttered to himself as he continued his run.

The problem was that, from what he had been told, the guardian would be able to manipulate time and space. So how could one fight against that?

This was one of the potential problems.

The other one was, where was this supposed intelligent creature that could set a trap for him?

But no plan was perfect, after all, so all he could do was bet his life on the line.

Hearing a grunt behind him, Eric realized that the werewolves were much faster than he thought, so he picked up his speed even more.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he cursed. "What the fuck is that?"

A giant made out of some kind of flesh was running toward him, wielding some kind of butcher knife in its hand.

Seeing that he didn't have much choice, Eric managed to duck and pass between the monster's legs before he was caught.

Though something else caught him—a hand… no, dozens of hands.

Feeling something grab him, he looked down, only to see hands beginning to emerge from the cooled-off magma.

It was almost as if they had been waiting for this moment their entire existence, and once they felt the light of the lantern Eric was carrying, they tried to grasp it in their hands.

"Let go!" he cried as he managed to cut through them and continued his run.

"How much longer?!" he asked himself, not stopping his dash.

He hadn't been running for long, but he was beginning to feel exhausted. Yet, at the same time, he was becoming stronger, faster.

The more enemies surrounded him—all more powerful than him—the more his trait shined, giving him inhuman strength.

But he doubted it would be enough, so he started to scream again with all his might, hoping to attract more enemies toward him.

*****

"Faster!" Aria muttered as she ran through the forest. While Eric had his own mission to fulfill, the girls had theirs too.

Suddenly, a werewolf appeared in front of Aria, hoping to devour her.

In the next second, it was split in two, as were the trees behind it. Aria and Olivia continued their run toward the cathedral.

"To be honest, my element is supposed to be darkness, but even I'm getting sick of this now," Olivia admitted as she ran.

Was she in a good mood, or was she trying to cheer up Aria?

"We're close," Aria muttered, not slowing down.

"So once we reach it, we just hope Eric makes it, huh?" Olivia spoke. She had never felt this way before.

"This is a first—for me, to rely completely on somebody else," she muttered.

Aria suddenly stopped, and Olivia did the same.

"What happened?" Olivia asked, turning to Aria.

Aria grimaced before speaking firmly. "We've been moved."

Without saying anything else, she dashed in a different direction, not leaving time for Olivia to speak.

"What do you mean we've been moved? How much?" she shouted, irritated, trying to keep up with the princess, who had increased her pace even more.

"A few kilometers. It seems the guardian really is able to manipulate space," Aria explained.

"What about Eric then?! Unlike you, he isn't connected to the god of life, so if he got moved, he wouldn't know which direction to run!"

Aria gritted her teeth as she answered, "All we can do now is have faith in him."

*****

'How long have I been running?' Eric asked himself. He wasn't shouting anymore, there was no need. The number of monsters chasing him was so large it was almost deafening.

"Why do I feel like I've been running in circles?" he muttered under his exhausted breath.

'Maybe I've been moved? But if that's the case, how am I supposed to find the cathedral?'

All hope seemed lost until—

[The god of life shudders in it's deep slumber, feeling the effect of your trait: The Last One.]

[It begins pointing you in the right direction]

Eric smiled as his eyes shined crimson once again.

"I see… I'm close. Soon, the battle for the cathedral will begin."