Chương 72: Chapter 61

Hakon knew what was about to happen. He even saw the arrow as it arced through the air like a magnificent star streaking across the bountiful sky, yet he couldn't do anything about it. His mana structures were not durable enough, his mana too slow. If he had been closer, maybe something would have changed but as it was, all Hakon could do was watch as the arrowhead lodged into the side of a young warrior's head. It pierced through and through, and the Barbarian collapsed to the ground.

He was dead before his head hit the wet soil. The fight was already over, the victor decided, but yet another of the young warriors fell victim to Pearot's arrows. Diving to the side, Hakon caught a glimpse of Astrid, her body drenched in blood, wearing a savage smile as she turned into a blur. She was in her element, wielding power no warrior at the 1st Ascension should be able to summon, yet she did, and she knew how to use it.

Astrid blocked a hunter's sword with one of her daggers, while the other snaked forward, finding purchase in the hunter's lungs. Her opponent stood no chance, and it was not long before more blood flowed, further empowering Astrid's legendary power. She didn't need Hakon's help, but the same couldn't be said about the others. They struggled, and so did he. But he was still alive, and if the Ancestors willed, Hakon wouldn't die anytime soon.

Noo! Hakon roared out in his mind, too weak to do anything. He barely stood, his leg numb like it never truly belonged to him. It was surprising that he hadn't lost it to the vicious axe that had cut through it with ease. Mana poured out of him in quantities he didn't even know were possible, but maybe he needed that much mana to keep death at bay. No, he was certain that the mana in his Core, channels, and every other part of his body was the sole reason he survived.

And maybe the membrane of [Reinforcement] holding his body together. Hakon used [Compression] on half a dozen layers of [Reinforcement] he'd conjured and spread all over his body, but it was neither mana-efficient nor enough to keep him combat-ready.

"Heal faster, useless body," he growled weakly, funneling more mana into [Natural Regeneration] than he thought possible. His body reacted to the healing energy coursing through him. With his natural regeneration amplified, Hakon could see himself healing at a rapid pace, his flesh knitting itself back together. Looking around, the vicinity was a mess. The epitome of death and blood. Thorstur lay there, spiked with arrows, and he was not the only one of Taskur's warriors no longer among the living.

Unmoving bodies, some unrecognizable, sprawled across the ground and over each other. They were everywhere, highlighting his failure. Four. That was how many warriors they lost to Pearot's hunters. They killed the same number of hunters, all of whom had already reached the 2nd Ascension, yet that didn't fill Hakon with pride. It only deepened his anger. More hunters were alive. They had retreated into the forest, yet Hakon was sure they would return.

He could no longer sense their presence, nor could he locate them nearby with [Scent of Lifelight], no matter how high he pushed his senses, but that meant little. They could be hiding somewhere, his Skills too weak to pick them up. And if they were still nearby, which Hakon did not doubt for a second, they would strike again, their arrows reaping the lives of all those who had survived the first wave. Hakon was furious.

He wanted nothing more than to twist the hunters' necks and tear them apart right in front of the Ancestors, but forcing a pursuit would result in certain death. Their deaths. Astrid had seen better days, a bad cut across her left eye worsening her eyesight while one arm still hung limply at her side. She looked battered, but that was the case for everyone. Björn was a mess, and Eren was fortunate to have made it through the fight.

He had nearly been gutted, but Björn stopped the attack with his own body before beheading their opponent. It was a risky sacrifice, one that nearly resulted in Björn's death, but his Runeskin helped him endure and recover. But even when everyone was on the verge of death, one fact remained. They were still alive. The mana flooding every part of their bodies ought to have been the only reason the young warriors were still breathing, yet they were still among the living. For now.

Anger threatened to consume him, but Hakon forced his mind and body to calm down. He funneled the anger into his mana and poured it out into the world, knowing that the emotions and mana surging through him were too much to handle. Be it emotions or mana, he could only take so much. Enough to recover and keep going, but not enough to affect him negatively. Taking several deep, deliberate breaths, he focused on the situation. The dead could no longer be helped. Now, he had to make sure the living stayed alive.

That said, Hakon checked his Scriptures first. [Experience threshold met. Level Up!] [Experience threshold met. Level Up!] The last fight pushed him more than anything before. He couldn't remember much about it, but the Scriptures acknowledged the challenge he and the young warriors had gone through. Level 20. Hakon was half-certain he had done enough to warrant his second ascension, but the Ancestors didn't seem to agree. The Wall was still there, blocking him for now. However, Hakon knew better.

It was only a matter of time before he would ascend. And then, once he reached the 2nd Ascension, he would be strong enough to decimate the hunters. Kill them before they could even think about harming his people. Maybe with his strengthened physique and all the Skill improvements he'd acquired, Hakon would be strong enough to defeat the hunters now… once he'd recovered. With that in mind, he studied the Scripture of Improvement. [Scripture of Improvement. Throwing Lv. 8 → Lv. 9 Intimidation Lv. 6 → Lv. 10 Pack Coordination Lv. 7 → Lv. 10 Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Dash Lv. 13 → Lv. 14 Grappling Lv. 11 → Lv. 12 Weakness Detection Lv. 22 → Lv. 23 Weapon Mastery Lv. 17 → Lv. 20 Bash Lv. 7 → Lv. 9 Bleeding Lv. 7 → Lv. 10 Circulation Lv. 14 → Lv. 16 Mana Sense Lv. 22 → Lv. 23 Split Focus Lv. 16 → Lv. 19 Mana Infusion Lv. 8 → Lv. 9 Sensory Expansion Lv. 13 → Lv. 14 Flow Observation Lv. 13 → Lv. 14 Mana Manipulation Lv. 17 → Lv. 19 Mana Shaping Lv. 15 → Lv. 18 Mote of Light Lv. 8 → Lv. 9 Reinforcement Lv. 8 → Lv. 11 Compression Lv. 5 → Lv. 7 Mana Bolt Lv. 11 → Lv. 13 Mana Shield Lv. 7 → Lv. 10 Aether Spiral Lv. 2 → Lv. 3 Unhindered Movement Lv. 2 → Lv. 5 Predator's Gaze (New) Lv. 1 Edge of Awareness (New) Lv. 1 → Lv. 2] The list was long, almost uncomfortably long, yet it filled Hakon with pride. The Scripture had gathered all his improvements from both fights against the hunters, showing him just how much he had improved. Truth be told, he had improved greatly.

Reaching Level 20 in such a short period was already enough of an achievement. It was almost certainly worth a Feat, and that did not even take his full strength into account. Every waking heartbeat was a moment he had used to gain more strength. It was what he lived for, and he would not give it up for anything. As confusing as his list was, Hakon studied it thoroughly.

Some Skills had either reached Level 20 and required yet another condition to display an upgrade, and then there were the Skills he was almost certain would fuse with one another. He was working toward a Skill Fusion, although there was no proof that such fusions existed or that he had the right Skills in the first place. It was merely his instincts and the prodding of his Ancient Power that guided him down paths no one else had taken before. He cracked his knuckles, which tore open a gash on the back of his hand.

Frustrated, he conjured a mana construct to stop the bleeding. It was not good, and it wouldn't last long either; however, the structure came to him easily enough. Almost no effort had been put into the small rectangular sheet that now covered the gash. Looking at the small construct made him wonder how he would have used it if he'd been a Healer. He'd infused his power into the construct to give himself and his people localized healing.

Hakon kicked a hunter's corpse in frustration before taking yet another deep breath. They had surprised them from the forest's thicket. He didn't think the first hunters had any idea of Taskur's invasion, but the other hunters knew. The surprise attack had been planned, somewhat, and– He shook his head. Not important. He had to remind himself, forcing his thoughts back to the important parts. There had been many injured hunters, and they all had been at the 2nd Ascension. Did they know about the invasion?

Hakon's eyes narrowed. Some hunters had been seriously hurt. They'd been too exhausted to use their full strength. Did they fight Ulfar and the others dbefore they found us? While he couldn't be sure about that, knowing it was possible made his course of action easier.

"We need to move." Hakon called out.

"Now!" The others groaned and complained under their breath, yet they complied and scrambled to their feet. He retrieved a fingertip-sized crystal from his pouch – a gift from his father – and crushed it without hesitation. Their plan took a turn in the wrong direction. Frustrating, but not unexpected. The forest offered surprises at every corner, and they had accounted for that. Hakon channeled the full power of [Sensory Expansion], [Mana Sense], and his other sensory Skills to empower [Scent of Lifelight].

Focusing on the familiar 'scents of life' was far from easy, but it came to him as he channeled thrice as much mana into each of his Skills. His head hurt like it was about to split at any moment. Not even [Adaptive Resilience] was enough to help him endure the assault on his mind, but that was fine. He limped in the direction they had come from until he finally found something. His mind felt like mush at that point, so he reduced the mana output as much as possible, yet his head was still a mess. He was exhausted.

He could only hope his leg wouldn't fall off, and yet he maintained several mana-based Skills to push further and find the fools who should have never left his side. And he did find them, or what was left of them. Ulfar was alive, which was not particularly surprising, but Hakon had never seen him look this bad. His Runeskin scales were shattered in several spots, a chunk of his chest was missing, and he had several deep cuts in his neck, most of which should have been lethal.

How Ulfar was still alive, Hakon didn't know, but Behemoth Blood certainly played a major role. Anyone else with Ulfar's injuries would be dead now. He's mana-drained, Hakon noticed, which told him enough to understand the situation. So were the corpses. Ulfar's group had been larger than Hakon's. The fool of a legendary warrior had used everyone's excitement to pull them to his side, promising them a great Saga and whatnot. In the end, they failed.

Hakon and his friends killed as many enemies as they lost – enemies that should have been strong enough to defeat them. As for Ulfar and all those that survived, they hadn't killed anyone, or the Ancestors would have rewarded them with a level up. Not every one, maybe, but a handful at most. Now, however, they were out of mana to channel into their recovery Skills, and it didn't look like they had enough energy left to empower their Ancient Powers either.

Hakon ground his teeth, yet he retained the calmness of a Healer as he stepped forward, all eyes turning to him.

"Let's get out of here." That was not a request. It was an order of the Successor. Ulfar noticed him and turned a furious red, fists clenched.

"You want us to flee? To run away like dogs?" Are you serious now? Hakon looked at the sky. Ancestors… why did you give him a legendary Ancient Power? He spun toward the legendary fool, struggling to keep his emotions under control. [Intimidation] erupted from him, but it was not nearly enough to affect Ulfar. The Behemoth Blood warrior snorted. That was the wrong reaction. Not even a full heartbeat later, a mana bolt whistled through the air, tearing through a bad gash on Ulfar's leg and forcing him to the ground.

"You want to fight like that, Ulfar? Is that really what you want? To die like a useless, pathetic dog when you actually have the chance to retreat and recover enough to seek vengeance? Do you, wielder of a legendary power, really want to die that much?" Hakon let out a deep growl.

"I expected more from you." Ulfar scrambled back to his feet, a roar erupting forth, yet Hakon couldn't be bothered. He ignored the silent challenge thrown his way and helped those who couldn't walk properly.

"We have to leave. Fast, before they return with reinforcements." He called out, all while [Edge of Awareness] flared to life. It was more instinctive than intentional, but Hakon used Enhanced Comprehension to learn more about the Skill, its intentions, and the warning it carried. [Edge of Awareness Lv. 2 → Lv. 3] [Edge of Awareness Lv. 3 → Lv. 4] The Skill screamed at him, and the more he learned about it, the worse he felt.

"Stop," he called out to the young warriors as they prepared for a hurried departure. Their heads flicked toward him, but all they could see and hear was Hakon, realizing their misfortune.

"They're already here."