"Analyzing…"
"Analysis complete."
"FOUR-FF ranked hares detected."
"Affinity: Air."
Erie stood at a distance, his eyes locked onto Alex and the four beasts in front of him. The creatures resembled oversized rabbits, except far more vicious. Standing as tall as dogs on all fours, they were covered in sleek white fur, their bloodshot red eyes gleaming under the moonlight.
"Hares often travel in packs. They form a quad formation, surrounding their leader, who protects the herd."
"Attackers are typically the fastest, not the strongest."
"Warning: Energy below fifty percent."
"Time remaining for the previous quest: One hour and fifty-seven minutes."
"Would you like to abandon the mission and leave your friend behind to proceed with the quest?"
Erie stared at the glowing screen in disbelief. Did I really travel this far just to find Alex? And what's with this option? What happens if I leave him here?
He waited for the system to respond, but this time, there was only silence. His energy was running low—below fifty percent. And to make matters worse, time was slipping away. He hadn't even realized night had already fallen.
"Anytime now, Erie! I mean, really, what are you thinking? Staring off into space isn't helping. I know you're afraid, but you can at least do something, right?" Alex called out, his voice edged with urgency.
Before Erie could respond, a hare leapt into the air and let out a sharp hiss. His eyes widened as faint ripples formed in the air. The disturbance rushed forward, slamming into Alex like an invisible vortex and locking him in place.
Then, another hare broke from the formation, launching itself at Alex with terrifying speed.
Boom!
Two powerful hind legs crashed into Alex's chest, sending him hurtling backward until he collided with a tree.
"Ahhh!" Alex cried out, his body slumping against the trunk.
The first hare repeated the attack—leaping, hissing, and sending another ripple of air toward Alex. But this time, Erie noticed something alarming. The leader's pristine white fur was darkening to a smoky gray. The air around it swirled violently, forming a miniature tornado that encased the entire pack.
"What the hell is it doing?!" Erie's heart pounded. I need to act now!
Without hesitation, he lunged forward and delivered a fierce kick to the hare that had attacked Alex.
"That's for hitting my friend!"
The hare flew sideways, slamming into a tree. A notification flickered in his vision.
"One of five hares defeated. Option to eliminate and extract core."
Erie ignored the prompt, unwilling to be distracted. His focus remained on the battle. He quickly glanced at his system's timer.
"One hour and twenty-nine minutes remaining."
"Energy: Forty-two percent."
"Warning: Energy approaching forty percent."
"Please meditate in sunlight for thirty minutes to replenish energy."
His breathing was heavy as he watched the remaining hares. Another one leapt into the air, puffing out its chest.
"It's doing it again!" Erie shouted, sprinting to the left, trying to maneuver around the group. As he ran, he noticed the grass behind him rippling—the telltale sign of an incoming attack.
I can't dodge this!
Then, Alex's voice cut through the chaos.
"These things don't look cute at all!" he shouted, hurling a rock at the airborne hare. The stone struck true, piercing through its body and killing it instantly.
"We'll get the core later! Focus on the rest, Erie! They're fast, but their defense is trash! Just don't let them hit you!"
Erie didn't need Alex to tell him that. His instincts were already screaming at him. He rushed in, ducking low, and launched a powerful kick into another hare's chest. His foot connected solidly, sending the creature tumbling to the ground—knocked out cold.
"Three of five hares defeated."
"Two hares are eligible for elimination and core extraction."
"One hare defeated by battle partner."
"User will not be rewarded for partner's kill."
Erie clenched his fists, his breathing uneven. Two hares left. His energy was running low. And time was against him.
Suddenly, his body felt sluggish.
"Warning: Energy levels at thirty-seven percent."
"Your stats are now cut in half."
"Strength: 2.5"
"Speed: 7"
"Agility: 7"
"Stamina: 5"
Before he could react, one of the hares dashed forward and landed a powerful kick to his stomach. A burst of wind followed the impact, sending Erie flying into a tree.
Alex winced as Erie crashed past him. He must've burned through all his energy running here…
He threw another rock at the hare, but this time, it dodged effortlessly. Its cheeks puffed out, then with a sharp exhale, it propelled itself high into the air.
Alex groaned. Great. And that big one must be the leader—he's too calm.
He grabbed three rocks and hurled them all at once. The leader repeated the same move, puffing its cheeks and exhaling a powerful gust that stopped all three rocks mid-air.
Alex sighed, smirking in defeat. Well, that was all the rocks I had. His smirk faded as he muttered, Guess this is it. Can't say I lived a good life… because I didn't.
Erie pushed himself up from the ground, coughing. A critical system notification appeared.
"Warning: System detected broken ribs."
"Would you like to use 20 energy points to restore broken ribs?"
"Warning: Health below five percent."
"Error: Health gauge locked. Please level up to unlock health gauge."
"Warning: Energy level at twelve percent."
Erie staggered over to Alex, breathing heavily. They locked eyes.
Alex forced a weak grin. "Man, Erie… you look terrible. Well, it was nice knowing you, buddy. I've accepted my fate."
Erie shook his head. "We can't give up yet."
Alex scoffed. "I'm all out of rocky ideas, street rat."
The hare screeched, sending violent air ripples that trapped both Erie and Alex in place.
"What is this!?" Erie yelled.
The hare charged, its powerful legs coiling in preparation to strike. Then, everything slowed. The world around Erie seemed to move in slow motion. He turned his head, seeing Alex frozen mid-expression, the hare lunging toward them at a crawl.
I have time…
His eyes darted to a thick branch lying on the ground in front of him. Moving as fast as he could, he grabbed the branch and drove it forward—impaling the hare through the chest.
"Congratulations! You have successfully eliminated a hare."
"One core obtained."
"Four of five hares defeated."
"Energy: Thirteen percent."
"Time remaining: Fifty-nine minutes."
"Well… I guess I won't make it in time," Erie muttered. "I hope the system doesn't take anything from me…"
Alex stared at Erie, eyes wide. What the hell was that?
The last hare screeched, its fur shifting to an ominous black. A powerful gust burst from its body, knocking leaves from the trees.
Then—
FWOOOSH!
A massive wave of fire engulfed the hare, incinerating it instantly.
Erie's system flooded with notifications.
Alex turned toward the trees, his expression darkening. "That wasn't us… Someone's watching."
From the shadows, a woman stepped forward. Her purple outfit hugged her frame, but what caught Alex's attention most was the glow surrounding her body. Her hair shifted slightly, its deep blue hue fading as she approached.
Erie turned off his notification screen. Then, he heard faint clapping in the distance.
Alex pointed at her, his face pale. "Do you even know who she is?"
Erie frowned. "No… should I?"