Chapter 71: Caught

Chapter 71: Caught

I blinked straight toward one of them, closing the distance in an instant. Instead of bringing my blade down, I planted my palm firmly against its side and triggered [Warp].

A heartbeat later, the world shifted, and we were both way high above the treeline, the cold night air roaring in my ears.

Gravity took hold immediately, dragging us into a rapid freefall.

But I wasn’t finished.

Mid-descent, I triggered [Swap] again, trading places with another Gnarlbeast far below.

Now there were two of them plummeting toward the earth—one tumbling helplessly from above, the other just realizing too late that the ground was rushing up to meet it.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the remaining Gnarlbeasts had clustered together, their formation tightening so that any swap would drop me right into their kill zone.

And that’s exactly what happened.

The moment I reappeared, I was boxed in—antlers and muscle on all sides, no clean escape without taking a hit. They didn’t bother with their energy beams; at this range, there was no time to charge.

Instead, they went for something more immediate.

Hooves.

They came down in a blur, heavy and brutal, each strike aiming to crush bone and cave in ribs.

I snapped [Mana Shield] into place, the faint shimmer of the barrier flaring around me just in time to take the brunt of the assault.

STOMP!

STOMP!

STOMP!

The blows landed with bone-jarring force, the shield flaring brighter with every impact. Even so, I could feel each hit reverberate through my body, the pressure threatening to crack through if they kept it up much longer.

Somewhere behind the chaos, a different sound cut through—the distant, sickening THUD of two bodies hitting the ground.

The Gnarlbeasts I’d sent tumbling from above had met their end, the force of their fall more than enough to finish the job.

Ding!

[You have levelled up]

Glad to hear.

The [Mana Shield] flared one last time, its surface trembling under the relentless stomps before the built-up pressure finally triggered its secondary effect. Energy rippled outward in a sudden burst, the deflective force releasing like a compressed spring snapping free.

The shockwave blasted into the surrounding Gnarlbeasts, throwing them back in staggering arcs and buying me the space I needed.

And I didn’t waste it.

I lunged forward, closing the gap before they could regroup, Gravefang already in motion. The blade carved through flesh and fur in quick, fluid strikes, each impact met with the satisfying resistance of muscle giving way under steel.

[You have landed a slash]

[Venom Slash activated]

The toxin took hold instantly, seeping into the wounds and darkening the skin around each cut. Even those that survived the initial blow flinched, their legs shuddering as the venom coursed through them.

I moved from one target to the next, never staying still long enough for them to pin me down, cutting deep and vanishing before their counterattacks could connect.

[You have landed a slash]

[Venom Slash activated]

The notifications stacked up in my vision, a silent tally of damage dealt. Some of the Gnarlbeasts were still standing, but I’d left my mark on most of them—and I knew the venom would keep working long after my blade left their hides.

I was on a spree now, my momentum carrying me from one target to the next, my hands working Gravefang in a constant rhythm of cuts and thrusts. Every movement bled into the next—slash, step, warp, strike—an unbroken chain of motion.

I appeared directly in front of one Gnarlbeast, only for it to fire a beam at point-blank range.

I triggered [Warp] an instant before it hit, reappearing atop the thick branch of a nearby tree, the bark rough under my boots. Below me, the deer’s head snapped upward, its antlers already beginning to glow again.

It didn’t get the chance.

Using the bark as a springboard, I launched myself forward, pulling another dagger from my inventory—a slim, wicked blade scavenged from the goblin raiders I’d cut down earlier. I landed almost chest-to-chest with the beast, my momentum carrying both daggers into its eyes in a single, brutal strike.

It reared back in a howl of agony, thrashing violently as blood streamed down its face. I wrenched the blades free in one smooth pull and pushed off, flipping back toward the tree branch I’d come from.

My boots had barely touched the bark again when another Gnarlbeast barreled toward me, lowering its antlers with the clear intent to gore me clean through.

I blinked upward, vanishing from its path before it could make contact.

The Gnarlbeast’s antlers punched straight through the tree trunk, splintering bark and wood in a single, violent thrust. It was still trying to wrench itself free when I dropped down, Gravefang poised in both hands.

The blade drove into its skull with a solid, final thunk.

Ding!

[You have levelled up]

Another kill. Another level gained.

Just one more to hit level 25.

Who’s next?

I didn’t have to wait for an answer.

Multiple beams converged on me at once, forcing me to [Warp] away in a split-second flash. The air where I’d been standing lit up with destructive light, and the tree behind me exploded into splinters, half its trunk disintegrating under the barrage.

That’s when I saw it—a Gnarlbeast unlike the others. Its antler glow was sharper, more intense, and the tag that flashed before my eyes confirmed it.

[Gnarlbeast Deer – Level 25]

The highest-level one I’d encountered so far.

I didn’t hesitate. In a blink, I warped toward it, Gravefang already cutting through the air in a killing arc. But to my surprise, it reacted—jerking backward with surprising agility. My blade missed the throat by a breath, instead biting deep into its forelegs.

The beast buckled with a sharp, pained cry, collapsing to the ground. I moved in quickly, intending to finish the job before it could recover.

That’s when it happened.

I met its eyes. Somehow, in all the chaos of this fight, I’d avoided doing that with any of the Gnarlbeast Deer, until now.

The moment our gazes locked, I knew—without knowing how—that I’d made a mistake.

A very big mistake.

The light in the Gnarlbeast’s eyes shifted, flashing with an...