Chapter 11: Life and death

Foster was running, Lïanna's scream ringing in his head like an alarm bell. He ran through the trees with desperate impatience, ignoring the pain in his legs and his shortness of breath. When he reached the clearing, the scene before him froze him.

The ground was covered in blood and entrails. The mutilated corpses of several recruits lay in grotesque positions, silent witnesses to the unprecedented violence that had taken place here. In the centre, the Alpha stood over Lïanna, his claws stained red. She lay wounded, her desperate gaze held on to Foster's figure.

Foster said nothing. His eyes stared at the beast, and an icy calm settled over him. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, and he stepped forward slowly, his footsteps crushing the broken bones on the ground.

The Alpha looked up, turning his attention away from Lïanna for a moment. A muffled growl rose from his throat, a warning. Foster replied with a simple, warm smile.

- Leave her be. Or I'll make you join these corpses,' he murmured.

The Alpha, as if he understood, roared with a power that shook the trees around him. But Foster didn't back down. The confrontation between the ultimate predator and a man determined to kill had just begun.

In response to Foster's defiance, the Alpha roared with an intensity that shook the air. Its ebony-black coat seemed to come alive, bluish arcs of electricity dancing across its surface. The beast became a spectre of lightning, illuminating the macabre clearing in intermittent flashes. Foster squinted, feeling the tension in the air. Every fibre of his body was screaming to be prepared.

- A beast that wields lightning... What a bloody mess,' said Foster.

The Alpha leapt up without warning, almost disappearing from sight. Foster only had time to raise his sword by instinct. The impact was dazzling. A clawed paw met the blade with such force that it sent Foster reeling back several metres. He felt a sharp pain in his arms, as if his sword was vibrating for the demonstrator.

The Alpha didn't stop. It was already on the move, circling Foster at terrifying speed. Arcs of lightning streaked the air, each pass leaving a smell of burning ozone.

- I can't even follow its movements... How on earth could Lianna have hurt that thing, Foster thought through clenched teeth. Every time he tried to read the beast's approach, it disappeared before he could react. It was like trying to fight a storm.

A flash of light preceded another attack. The Alpha appeared on his left, its claws glowing with energy. Foster barely dodged, pivoting on his feet, but not quickly enough. A shock went through his left shoulder, burning his skin and numbing his body.

- Argh!

He staggered back, the pain radiating into his chest. The Alpha landed a few metres away, his coat still charged with electricity. He roared again, the arcs of electricity intensifying, and a strange, sadistic laugh suddenly rang out from the beast - he was enjoying it.

- No choice, System increases my strength and perception by two points.

[Strength 10]

[Constitution 11]

A warm current flowed through Foster as her muscles bulged slightly.

[*Ding* Quests 2.4 completed]

[Creation of the Perception stat]

[Upgrade, stat increased to 10]

His whole being was suddenly aligned with a new reality. He didn't just see things: he felt them, understood them, as if a veil had been lifted from his senses. The world around him became clearer. He perceived the vibrations in the air, the movement of the leaves as the beast breathed, the subtle crackle of lightning on his coat.

Every step the Alpha took, every spark betrayed its position even before it struck. Foster slowly rose to his feet, his hand firmly gripping the hilt of his sword. His mind, hitherto cluttered with pain and doubt, was now icy clear.

Foster inhaled deeply, feeling the energy in his own body align with this new understanding. He was no longer trying to follow the Alpha's speed with his eyes; he was using his senses to anticipate. He could almost hear the creature's heartbeat, feel the tension in its muscles before it leapt.

The Alpha roared, furious at not seeing his prey tremble. His coat crackled again, and he disappeared in a flash of lightning. Foster didn't need to look to see where he would appear. He turned slightly onto his left flank, inclining his sword at a precise angle.

The impact felt like a thunderclap. The Alpha struck again, but this time Foster parried deftly, his sword meeting the clawed paw in a blinding flash. 

The force of the blow made his shoulders tremble, but he held on.

A cold smile played across his lips.

- I see you,' he murmured, his voice low.

[*Ding* You have become a rank 1 apprentice knight]

A wave of Ki suddenly surged through him, strengthening his body, his attacks and his reflexes even more. In Foster's eyes, there was now confidence.

His Ki, hitherto an imperceptible whisper in his being, became a torrent of raw power. Foster could feel it pulsating within him, a living force he had never known how to harness until now.

With his new perception and the awakening of this energy, everything seemed to speed up. The world around him slows imperceptibly as his mind and body align perfectly. He inhales deeply, instinctively directing his Ki towards his legs and arms. The heat radiates through his muscles, increasing his speed and power tenfold.

The Alpha, though weakened by the deep wound in his side inflicted by Lïanna, wasn't backing down. His fury seemed to amplify the crackle of lightning that ran through his coat. He roared, his bestial gaze burning with hatred, and disappeared in a flash.

Foster, armed with his perception and Ki, sensed the attack before it even materialised. He channelled his energy into his legs and leapt to the side at a speed that would have been impossible an hour earlier.

The ground exploded where the Alpha struck, its impact leaving a charred imprint. Foster rolled and was up in a flash, his blade in a defensive position. He could feel his Ki flowing through his arms, amplifying the precision of his movements.

- Time to end this

The Alpha, even on trial, was a force of nature. He roared even louder, concentrating his lightning around his body to form a crackling aura. Foster felt the air become electrified, but he didn't back down. Instead, he closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on his own flow of Ki.

He inhaled deeply, concentrating the energy in his legs in preparation for his final attack. He opened his eyes, his irises suddenly glowing blue.

- Tempestive Fulgurance,' he whispered.

Amplified by Ki, his skill doubled in power and speed, his body propelled itself at ultra-fast speed, completely overwhelming the beast.

His sword drew an arc of light and Foster reappeared with a sound of thunder. The Alpha's head detached from his body before splitting in two and exploding in a spray of blood and cerebrospinal fluid.

The Alpha's body collapsed with a howl of rage and pain, his body still shaking with electrical spasms. Foster remained motionless, his blade still raised, his breath short but regular.

[*Ding* + 40 EXP]

[Level up]

[4 stat points to distribute]

He glanced at Lïanna who was standing on her side, looking haggard from the blood loss.

Foster rushed over, tore off a piece of his top and wrapped it around Lïanna's wound to stop the bleeding.

- Thank you,' she said in a low breath.

[Current host status]

[Race] : Lower Elf

[Apprentice knight of rank 1] 

[Apprentice Magician Rank 1]

[Level 2 : 5/20

[Strength] : 10

[Stamina] : 14

[Constitution] : 11

[Perception] : 10

[Magic]: 15

[Quest 1:] Cast 25 spells (18/25)

[Quest 2.5:] Increase each of his stats to 20

[Quest 3:] Go to Fotiya and find the seed of the World Tree