Chapter 31: Surface Terror 2
What a waste. Killing a higher ranked creature but having to let go of the residue ambition force. Key couldn't be more disappointed as he sat in the shade by a grass stem.
As far as the information the old man had told him, he couldn't improve his rank unless he absorbed residue ambition force.
A simple matter, if one wanted to go on a killing spree. The thing was, he didn't have that kind of time, and also wasn't that type of person.
"I will just need to found something similar to the five-star Bewitching Fruits." Key quietly decided as he looked around his new resting area.
The atmosphere was weird. Key was in a place with many creatures. And yet, there wasn't a single sound heard to confirm their existence.
The calm before the storm!
Something big was going to happen, and the most likely spot would be near him. This place was definitely not the ideal spot to camp for a small break. It was time to get going and fast.
Standing, Key made his move while keeping his guard up and eyes appealed. With each step farther away, an invisible pressure gripped his senses. There was no way he just imagined things.
BOOM!
The ground shook.
For it to tremble this greatly... was something enormous roaming around? The scholars back in the village didn't mention anything of the sort.
Tap! Tap! TAp! TAP! TAP!
Hearing the running sound, Key broke out in a full sprint to lose it. If it was the same thing that made the earth tremble, only death was going to be waiting at the end.
Whoosh!
On reflex, he took a glance back to catch what was causing the noise. With the look came a fleeting shadow to greet him.
Fast!
Oof!
He was picked off his feet as it ramed dead center into him from the back. The hit intense enough to cause him to fly forward a few feet before landing on the ground in a heap.
It was like the feeling of a train hit. Wracked with pain and a small amount of blood traveling down each corner of his mouth, Key could feel the thing zip over him as it never lost its momentum.
Skid marks were left in its wake as it made a sharp turn to circle back. This action gave Key a view of its appearance. The sight was a tiger pattern hard shell and a set of sharp pinchers in the front. Just like the other insects, it was a giant that was a third bigger than the average speck.
Five-star tiger beetle!
An aggressive bug, known for its insane speed velocity and bloodthirsty behavior. It was even claimed to be fast to the point that it lost sight of its surroundings when running.
Right away, he could tell this wasn't the thing that made the ground shake. Quickly uprighting himself, he wiped the blood from his mouth.
He would need to kill it. The speed of its charge would never let him escape otherwise. With a straight posture like a spear, he drew his bone blade. "Come. I won't run again."
As if understanding his words, the giant tiger beetle crept forward slowly. A predator facing its prey. Key also closed the distance slowly as the weapon he was using required him to be in short range.
Just when he considered the distance was good, the giant tiger beetle shot forward while releasing its concealed ambition aura.
Throb!
The blood to his heart sped up rapidly. A quaking feeling followed the rushing blood, as an extreme sense of danger quickly filled his being. His senses changed as they tried to go out of control. Following this, his parent, friends, sad events, happy event, and more flashed through his sight and mind.
Wasn't this the feeling of about to die? What had happened? So that was it. The giant insect was a titled creature. He had ignored his strange feeling due to logical reasoning that it wasn't possible for a bug that size to cause such a big disturbance.
Once more, in this type of environment, who would be able to found a tiger beetle in such a grass field? For it to be living in these lands, it was already abnormal and should be cautioned on.
Of course, the true reason he decided to fight an insect two ranks above him was that its speed didn't allow fleeing. Even if he had known from the beginning, the results would have been the same.
But would he accept this?
NO!
Adrenaline ran through him as his pupils enlarged.
KILL!
He would definitely not die here. With a mind of a solid thought, goal, and strong ambition, his body moved beyond its limits as he forcefully channeled his ambition force to the bone blade.
"SCRAM YOU PEST!" He was clearly lost in the heat of the moment.
Swinging the bone blade between the pinchers vertically, that was about to clip him in half, it met hard resistance. Grunting while putting more strength behind the strike, he heard a sound before it finally gave out.
Cling!
Fzzz! Whoosh!
The first sound was his bone blade cutting through its hard shell. The second was a fire javelin coming to life before cutting through the air.
Bam!
Both landed almost at the same time, nearly taking and destroying his weapon as the fire javelin managed to detach the giant tiger beetle's head. He got snuck up on again?
There to the side was an odd pair. A man and a young woman. Of the two people, the young woman had her hand outstretched still in striking position. "Wonderful! You are excellent! I have never seen someone as splendid as you."
The sound of her voice was captivating. But Key could not enjoy the pleasure of it, nor the beauty that the lady was letting off because his situation wasn't good. As if to prove it, his body hit the ground. The pain he felt made him think that he probably broke some bones to achieve his feat just now.
The young woman, on the other hand, saw no problem with the sight. "Its decided! You are mine now! I'm going to take care of you for the rest of your life." Her smile was beautiful.
Eh! He stumbled on a nutjob!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone