Chương 30: Didn't know
Tom's blow was so powerful that, like him, the creature was sent into the air. Moreover, it was just a brief moment, but Tom was sure he felt the creature's ribs snap under the force of his strike.
He grinned and looked to where the monkey had landed, asking, "So, what's it feel like?"
The creature, which had also crashed into a tree, slowly got up and glared at Tom before charging toward him with a frenzied look.
Tom was prepared and took his stance.
As the creature rushed at him, Tom also started running towards it. In this fight, he had no intention of remaining passive, taking hits, or even fleeing!
In the blink of an eye, the two opponents were face to face, ready to deliver blows to each other. But once again, the monkey was faster than Tom. However, just like the last time, Tom managed to dodge the strike and circle around the monkey.
He was about to deliver a blow to the same spot as last time, but it seemed the monkey-like creature had learned from its previous mistake. This time, as Tom was about to strike, the monkey's tail moved and delivered a blow to Tom's side.
"Arg...!"
The blow wasn't very powerful, but since it landed on Tom's wounded side, it hurt nonetheless.
Tom quickly moved away from the creature while holding his injured side.
'I won't be able to keep this up; it's too fast,' Tom thought, analyzing their exchanges.
'I need to finish this fight quickly. If it drags on, I might lose. What to do?' Tom wondered, but after a moment, he gave up.
'No need to overthink it. Sometimes the simplest option is the best,' Tom thought, reducing the Etherium in his arms to increase concentration in his legs. The option he had chosen was to increase his speed. If the creature's advantage was speed, he would nullify that advantage by boosting his own speed.
Of course, the problem with this method was that he would be sacrificing his striking power in doing so.
'Just need to land more hits,' Tom thought, cracking his knuckles with a smile on his face.
It was strange, but he was enjoying this fight. In his recent battles, all he could do was move constantly to avoid projectiles coming at him. But in this fight, it was different, and that was why he was enjoying this fight.
Tom, once ready, charged at the monkey at full speed and appeared in front of it in the blink of an eye. The monkey attempted to counter, but in vain, this time Tom was faster.
Tom delivered a direct punch to the monkey's abdomen. The blow wasn't as powerful as the one that had sent the creature flying earlier, but it was enough to push the creature back a few meters.
Wanting to press his advantage, Tom decided to pursue the monkey, but he rushed too much, earning him a kick at his side from the monkey.
"Ahh..."
Tom exclaimed, also having to step back due to the kick to his wound. This injury was starting to release more and more blood, weakening Tom further.
The monkey, seeing Tom clutching the side of his abdomen where it had struck, seemed to understand that it was Tom's weak point and sported a sinister smile.
This time, it was the monkey that charged at Tom to deliver a blow to the side he had been holding, but Tom understood its intention and managed to easily avoid the monkey, which passed by without touching him.
Tom found himself behind his opponent and decided to seize the opportunity to strike it in the back.
Unfortunately, when he swung his left arm to deliver the blow, it was momentarily immobilized by the monkey's tail. This allowed the monkey to turn around and continue the fight by throwing a punch towards Tom.
Fortunately for Tom, he quickly regained his composure after the shock of having his arm momentarily stopped by the monkey's tail, and he retaliated with a punch of his own.
The two combatants' fists clashed, and each was thrown backward due to the energy generated by the impact. However, right after stabilizing themselves, they both charged at each other again. Once more, each delivered a punch, and this time their fists collided, but both were prepared, so neither was thrown backward.
Right after withdrawing his arm that had just clashed with the monkey's, Tom used his other arm to strike the monkey's abdomen once again.
The monkey took Tom's blow head-on, and after this strike, it also attacked Tom's wounded abdomen with its foot.
Having predicted the attack, Tom avoided it by ducking. While down there, Tom struck the monkey's hind leg, causing it to lose balance.
The monkey began to fall onto Tom, but Tom wasn't worried. In an instant, he redirected all of his etherium into his right arm. As the creature fell, Tom delivered a well-placed blow beneath its jaw with all the force of his augmented arm.
CRACK
Tom felt the monkey's teeth shatter inside its mouth under the force of his blow before it was sent soaring into the air.
This time, unlike the first encounter, Tom's punch sent the monkey far into the sky before it began to fall, far from Tom's position.
Bloody, tired, but victorious, Tom stood there with his fist raised towards the sky.
After a moment, he lowered his fist. Contrary to what one might expect from someone who had just won a fierce battle against a formidable opponent, Tom's mood was somewhat sour and disappointed.
"Damn, it fell too far," Tom thought, and that was the reason for his disappointment.
He had counted on the possibility of gaining something from the monkey, perhaps another core or something useful if he defeated it.
It could be said that Tom's perspective on battles had changed since his last encounter. Before, he only cared about survival, but now, after seeing the crystal creature's core, all he could think about was obtaining another one.
That's why he didn't flee when he saw the monster, even though he could have. He hoped to find another core inside this monkey and engaged in the fight without fear of the injuries he would surely sustain.
But now, he had won the battle only to see the monkey's body fall far away from his location.
Tom chose not to venture out to retrieve the monkey's body, especially in the darkness of night.
Besides, recalling the lioness that came to devour the elk he had fought before, Tom was sure that another creature would take care of the monkey's body.
He didn't want to be around when that happened, as he knew he couldn't risk getting into another fight given his injuries.
"Sigh... better luck next time," Tom muttered to himself as he climbed up a tree to rest for the night.
What Tom didn't know was that this encounter with the monkey would change the course of his life.
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