Chapter 61: Taking Some Losses

You should be more wary of an old wolf than a large one.

The fact that it survived until old age in such harsh nature means it has the wisdom and hunting ability to match.

While a large wolf might have the advantage in a direct fight, you can't let your guard down around an old one. You never know when it might go for your throat.

And this wasn't just limited to wolves.

Anywhere, growing old in a harsh environment is synonymous with survival.

The Mountain Lord, this forest's ruler, was no exception. Though I'm honestly confused why they call him Mountain Lord when he lives in a forest. But that's not important right now.

What matters is that he too is a survivor.

Born as a Great Tiger.

That was certainly an advantage for survival. He likely had few rivals.

But even accounting for that, the Deep Layer where he lives is full of monsters.

Man-eating plants everywhere, high-level monsters abound.

With luck being what it is, he must have found himself in dangerous situations at times.

But he overcame them all the same.

Using his physical prowess and cunning animal instincts.

Of course, I never saw these battles myself.

But I didn't need to. The countless scars covering his body were proof enough of those fierce fights.

His strength comes not just from raw physical power, but from the many years he's endured.

And so he managed to survive in this forest until old age.

Hence, Old Tiger.

When explorers call him old, it's not an insult but a title of reverence.

Even if his body weakens with age, his cunning shines brighter than ever.

In other words, I'm totally screwed.

Not only am I outmatched in pure combat ability, but he's craftier than any monster I've met.

'When was the last time we met? Must've been years ago.'

Back when I foolishly ventured deep into the Deep Layer.

I met him there and was nearly killed.

Through desperate effort I managed to leave a scratch on his flank, but that was it.

Even with my regeneration abilities, I was completely outmatched in that fight.

His tenacity was terrifying too.

He chased me all the way from the Deep Layer to the Outside Layer.

Honestly, I got lucky then. I managed to lose him by chance, and there happened to be another monster nearby that let me mask my blood scent.

If luck hadn't been on my side then, I wouldn't be in this world anymore.

'So how about now...?'

Well.

I couldn't help but frown. The thoughts weren't particularly positive.

The one thing I knew for sure was that if I wanted to live, I needed to run like hell.

Shuk-! Shwook-!

As I ran, I threw daggers toward where he was.

Given his massive size, I didn't really need to aim.

Honestly, I wasn't sure if it would work.

I usually try to avoid throwing daggers like this.

Quality throwing daggers are expensive, and when you throw them while running away, you can't retrieve them.

But I had no choice now.

If it could slow down his pursuit even a little, I had to accept the loss.

"Haa, haa, wait it's too fast...!"

"No. Stop and you're dead!"

"Haa, but...!"

"Ugh."

Halfway through I ended up just carrying Ha-neul since she was too slow. It was faster to carry her than run together.

I'll admit, the thought crossed my mind.

Since she's an Otherworlder, maybe I could just abandon her...

But I quickly discarded that idea. How could I do that to someone who's not even a stranger?

I'll at least try to get her as far as I can.

"?!"

When I carried her on my back, I heard her surprised gasp.

"Hold on tight. I can't support you right now."

I said that and started running again.

Her massive... well, those massive somethings pressed against my back. Quite firmly at that.

Since I couldn't support her with my hands, Ha-neul had no choice but to cling to me as tightly as possible.

Squish.

Each time, I felt that soft, heavy sensation pressing firmly against my back.

How to describe it... like warm water balloons weighing down on me. Actually, wasn't this reason enough to keep her safe?

While I'd have loved to savor the sensation more, there was no time for that. A monster was chasing us after all.

And truthfully, looking after her wasn't just about friendship.

"I need you to cast some magic."

As I mentioned before, she's a support mage.

Even if the effects are minor, it's better than nothing.

Swoosh-

When she cast her spell, wind wrapped around my feet. A magic called Haste.

A simple spell that makes the target's feet a bit lighter.

Simple as it was, there couldn't have been a better buff right now.

"Kwaooo!"

Even so, shaking off the Old Tiger wasn't easy.

There's only so much a two-legged human can do.

But that's fine. At least we were maintaining distance. I never expected to shake him off in one go. This would be another drawn-out chase.

The scenery changed rapidly. Massive trees flew past and gradually grew smaller.

It meant we were getting back to the Middle Layer.

Even though we'd left his territory far behind, the Old Tiger kept pursuing us relentlessly. Determined to make us his prey no matter what.

Then he swung his massive foreleg at us. I quickly ducked.

Whoosh!

A terrifying wind pressure passed over my head.

Several trees fell cleanly cut to the ground. Even Middle Layer trees weren't small or weak, showing just how monstrous his strength was.

'This won't work.'

It was clear we couldn't escape just by running.

So what should I do?

I needed to make him turn back voluntarily. Make him think pursuing us would be dangerous with his injuries.

Even he doesn't have the stamina to casually travel between the Deep, Middle and Outside Layers.

And he needs to be ready for rivals he might face back in the Deep Layer.

While the Old Tiger might be this forest's ruler, that doesn't mean there aren't jackals waiting to take him down.

So the conclusion was simple. Wound him. Then find a way to escape again.

With the plan roughly decided, it was time to act.

Conveniently, I saw a massive tree blocking our path ahead.

I told Ha-neul.

"Let's hide behind that."

"Huh? But he's chasing us. He'll find us right away!"

"No, listen. I have a plan."

As we ran, I quickly explained the plan to her. Her role was especially important this time.

"...Alright."

After hearing the explanation, she nodded resolutely.

Soon we reached the planned tree. Without hesitation, we hid behind it.

Then we quietly waited for our chance while making preparations.

"......"

Fortunately, that chance came quickly.

"Grrrr!"

He stopped in front of the tree.

With his keen sense of smell, he must have known we stopped behind it.

Overwhelming killing intent pressed down on my skin.

I shook off my hesitation and thrust my spear at him.

Normally he would have reacted. He might have swung his paw to crush me, even if it meant taking the hit.

"Grng?"

But this time his reaction was confusion.

Of course it was. Right now he was seeing two of me.

A simple trick using 'Illusion' magic.

I smirked internally.

'Got him.'

In that brief moment, many thoughts must have raced through his mind.

Which is real? Which one should I attack? What if they're both real?

And that confusion becomes hesitation.

That much hesitation was all I needed to strike.

Shunk-!

My prepared strike pierced his foreleg. The attack sank into his flesh more smoothly than I expected.

Considering his massive body, it wasn't a large wound.

But it was a clear injury that drew blood. He couldn't ignore it.

Seeing that, I quietly celebrated.

'Got it!'

Now if we could just escape well, we'd survive.

With that thought, I tried to grab her and run again.

And that's when it happened.

Whoosh-!

His massive foreleg came swinging.

Not the injured right one, but his left foreleg.

I quickly raised my spear to block his attack.

But that attempt was futile.

Because his target wasn't me, but Ha-neul behind me.

"Huh?"

Slash-!

With a vicious sound, his paw struck her body.

Before logging out, she turned her gaze toward me one last time.

"Ah, no, Yor...!"

Swish.

With those final words, she died and logged out.

All that remained was her mage's hat lying on the ground.

"...Hah."

I let out a hollow breath.

During the attack, it at least figured out who cast that spell.

He thought she was troublesome, so he targeted her before me.

Truly a cunning bastard.

"Grrrr?"

He tilted his head in confusion.

This was probably his first time seeing an Otherworlder.

Anyone would be surprised seeing a corpse dissolve into light particles for the first time.

"......"

Honestly, there was no real loss.

She's an Otherworlder, and in 3 days she'll revive and return like nothing happened.

You could even say I benefited since she took a hit meant for me, preserving my health.

But what was this filthy feeling?

Even if there was no real loss, watching a friend get attacked and disappear before my eyes wasn't exactly pleasant.

"You damn overgrown cat."

So I decided to change my stance a bit.

I'd still run away.

But I'd already wounded him, and we'd made it to the Middle Layer.

Wouldn't it be fine to delay my escape a little?

So I could afford to take my time.

I gripped my spear and made a small cut on my skin.

Slowly, blood seeped out from my skin and thinly coated the spear blade.

"Let's give you another scar today."

It might be a bit dangerous, but he needed to take some losses too.