Capítulo 6: Otherworldly Deers
The Deerak pawed at the ground, its golden eyes fixed on me with burning intensity. I patted my growling stomach, a wry grin tugging at my lips.
"Don't worry, stomach," I muttered, rubbing it as if to soothe the hunger pangs. "You'll have some deer meat soon."
The Deerak snorted angrily, its ears flicking back. The way it stomped the ground and tossed its antlers suggested it somehow understood me—and it wasn't happy. With a sudden bellow, it charged, moving far faster than I expected for something so large.
"Shit!" I yelped, diving to the side just in time.
Its hooves struck the ground with a force that made the earth tremble, the pocket knife I'd been twirling mid-air spinning out of reach. I hit the ground hard, rolling to my feet with a wince. The Deerak rounded, its antlers gleaming in the dim light, readying for another attack.
I sucked in a sharp breath, forcing myself to focus. Calm down. I couldn't afford to underestimate it again. This wasn't some harmless critter from the meadow. This was a monster, and one wrong move could be my last.
The Deerak charged again, its hooves tearing through the grass. I waited this time, eyes locked on the space between its antlers. Just like those matador movies, I thought, trying to suppress a grin.
At the last possible moment, I sidestepped, the wind of its charge whipping past me. My hand shot out, slashing with my spinning pocket knife as it grazed the Deerak's hide. The blade bit in, not deep, but enough to draw blood.
The Deerak screeched in pain, shaking its antlers violently.
"Gotcha," I muttered, though my heart was pounding.
It wasn't enough. The hide was far thicker than I'd expected. I needed a different plan.
The Deerak rounded again, snorting heavily, its golden eyes blazing with rage. I raised my arms, trying to focus on its energy. My telekinesis latched onto the Deerak, the invisible force wrapping around its legs and shoulders.
I strained, willing it upward, but it was like trying to lift a boulder with nothing but my mind. The creature barely budged before crashing back to the ground, snorting in frustration.
Panting, I staggered back, wiping the sweat from my brow. That wasn't going to work.
My eyes darted around the clearing, searching for something—anything—I could use. The ground was littered with branches and twigs, useless at first glance, but an idea began to form.
I crouched low, gathering a handful of the sharpest branches. Twirling them rapidly with my telekinesis, I let the air around them hum with speed. If I couldn't cut through the Deerak's hide directly, maybe I could create a tool that could.
The Deerak charged again, faster than before. Its hooves churned up dirt, its antlers gleaming like polished ivory.
I crouched lower, letting the branches spin faster.
"Come on," I muttered, my fingers twitching. The Deerak was almost upon me. I held my ground, raising a middle finger in its direction. "That's right, big guy. Just a little closer."
It snorted, its golden eyes narrowing, and put on an extra burst of speed.
"Now!"
With a shout, I launched the spinning branches upward, guiding them with a flick of my wrist. They shot forward like a barrage of missiles, striking the Deerak's neck and throat.
The creature screeched, stumbling as the makeshift stakes impaled its hide. Most broke upon impact, splintering into harmless shards, but a few pierced deep enough to lodge in its thick fur. One struck its throat, leaving it gasping for air.
It staggered, its front hooves scraping at the ground as the wooden stakes kept its head elevated.
I stepped forward cautiously, my pocket knife spinning high into the air as I guided it with my telekinesis.
The Deerak was massive, larger than any animal I'd seen on Earth, its body a strange mix of familiar and alien. Its hide, while soft to the eye, was cold and hard to the touch, its neck surrounded by a dense mane of fur that had absorbed most of the branches' impact.
I reached out, brushing my hand against its fur. "I'm sorry," I whispered, genuine regret in my voice. "You're a magnificent creature, but I need this to survive."
The Deerak's golden eyes stared back at me, unblinking.
"I promise it'll be quick," I said softly, stepping back and curling my fingers downward.
Far above, the pocket knife froze mid-air. For a brief moment, it hung there, suspended in the sky like a tiny star. Then, with a flick of my wrist, it plummeted downward, accelerating at breakneck speed.
The knife struck true, piercing the Deerak's skull with a sickening crunch. The creature let out a final, guttural groan before collapsing to the ground.
I let out a long breath, my legs trembling as the adrenaline began to fade.
[You have killed a Deerak.]
Rewards: Deerak's Horns, 1 FFF Rank Magical Core, Deerak's Meat, Deerak's Hide.
Another chime sounded, and a second notification appeared.
[Would you like to absorb the FFF Rank Magical Core?]
"Yes," I muttered, barely above a whisper.
The core dissolved in my hand, its energy flowing into my Emblem. Warmth spread through my body as I sank to my knees, exhaustion weighing heavily on my limbs.
I patted the Deerak's lifeless body, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "Thanks for the fight," I murmured.
Sitting cross-legged, I closed my eyes, letting the energy settle. My breathing slowed as I focused inward, the vast cosmos of my inner universe flickering to life once more.
Stars glimmered around me, a reminder of the power I was slowly beginning to understand. But it wasn't enough.
Not yet.
There were people out there stronger than me. Far stronger. Monsters, warriors, and gods who would crush me without a second thought.
But I'd been given a second chance, a chance to rewrite the rules. To climb higher, faster, stronger than anyone could have imagined.
"The world doesn't know it yet," I muttered, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. "But I'm going to make even logic and fate my bitch."
I opened my eyes, staring up at the sky as the stars began to twinkle faintly in the growing dusk.
The world would remember this day.
This was the birth of the brightest star.
Presentes
-- Presente
recebido Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder