Chương 8: Foreign Contaminant

Zander could see shapes leaping from tree to tree. He immediately reactivated [Scarlet Gauntlet]. His gauntlets materialized just in time, as the canopy above him exploded with movement. It wasn't just one or two reinforcements; five shapes blurred through the air, diving at him from different angles simultaneously. [Ironfang Squirrel – lvl 4] [Ironfang Squirrel – lvl 5] He didn't have time to identify them all. Zander raised his gauntlets, his Might still bolstered to 20 thanks to [Mind's Dominion].

He swung a backhand at the first attacker, the level 4 he had identified. The blow connected mid-air, smashing the creature's ribcage and sending it flying into a bush, dead on impact. He heard the ding of a notification but ignored it. His opening attack left him exposed, however. Two of the remaining four squirrels landed on him, one on his right shoulder, the other clinging to his left thigh. Their claws dug deep into his clothes and skin. Get off! Zander thrashed, trying to shake them.

He managed to dislodge the one clinging to his thigh, but the shifting weight threw off his balance. Then, the real pain arrived. Another squirrel, larger and faster than the others, darted in while he was distracted and clamped its oversized iron teeth onto his unprotected side, just above his hip.

"Argh!" The pain was searing. The teeth pierced deep, bypassing his natural durability. He lost his concentration and felt the energy drain from his muscles instantly. His [Mind's Dominion] channel snapped, and his Might plummeted from 20 back to 15. He slammed his right gauntlet down onto the squirrel biting his hip. Thud. With Might 20, that blow would have crushed its skull. With Might 15, however, the squirrel merely squealed, dazed but alive.

It scrambled back, leaving four deep puncture wounds in Zander's side that began to bleed freely. Dammit! The squirrel on his shoulder bit down next, aiming for his neck but catching his trapezius muscle instead. Zander shouted, abandoning any attempt to re-channel his stats. He couldn't focus. He had to brawl. He grabbed the squirrel on his shoulder, not with his hands, which were currently featureless crimson slabs, but by crushing it between his gauntlet and his own chest.

He squeezed until he felt ribs pop, then shook the carcass off. Two down, three to go. They circled him, sensing his drop in power. Zander was hurting, blood soaking his shirt from the hip and shoulder wounds. His Health had dropped significantly. Health: 137/200 Two of the remaining three squirrels lunged together in a coordinated pincer attack. Zander didn't try to dodge both. He stepped into the attack of the one on the left, accepting a claw swipe across his cheek to deliver a devastating uppercut.

The gauntlet connected with the squirrel's throat. Even with reduced Might, the [Scarlet Gauntlet] was hard as rock and did its job. The impact crushed the creature's windpipe, and it fell, choking. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. But the second one slammed into his back. It didn't bite; it scrambled up his spine, shredding his shirt and skin with its claws, looking for a kill shot on his neck.

Zander threw himself backwards, slamming his entire body weight and the squirrel against the trunk of a massive tree. Crunch. The squirrel screeched, pinned between Zander's frame and the hard bark. Zander didn't let up. He slammed his back against the tree again. And again. When he finally stepped away, the squirrel slid down the bark, broken and motionless. Only the last squirrel remained. It had kept itself away from the fight so far. Seeing its pack slaughtered, it hesitated, then turned to flee up a tree.

Zander wasn't letting it go. He dismissed [Scarlet Gauntlet] and scooped up a rock, hurling it at the squirrel. He missed by a wide margin. He grabbed another rock, but got the same result. By the third rock, the squirrel was far enough away to be safe and vanished into the foliage seconds later. Silence returned to the forest. Zander slumped against a tree, his adrenaline fading. The pain in his hip, back, and shoulder flared up immediately.

He looked down at his blood-soaked side, then touched the bite above his shoulder; his hand came back red. He checked his Health and couldn't help but curse. Health: 83/200 Bloody hell! I was at 137 Health after the first two wounds, and those were the worst ones. How did I lose so much after that? He watched in horror as his Health ticked down in real-time. Health: 82/200 The bleeding was draining his Health faster than his natural regeneration could compensate.

Even now, he could feel the regeneration at work, warring against the blood pumping out of his veins. Then, he had an idea. He focused on the blood inside his body. After a few moments, he could feel it, just like he had two days ago when he first obtained his bloodline class. He identified the points where he was losing connection with his blood flow; those were the open wounds. He just needed to stop the flow. The task was surprisingly easy; all he had to do was will it. Just like that, the bleeding stopped.

It was as effortless as breathing. Somehow, he knew his Will stat was to thank for that. Sure enough, his Health immediately ticked back up. Health: 83/200 Ouf. It was a good thing he'd managed to dislodge the squirrel clinging to his thigh early in the fight. If it had severed his femoral artery, he might have bled out before he even realized what was happening. With that crisis averted, he turned to the notifications he had ignored during the fight.

'ding' You have killed [Ironfang Squirrel – lvl 4]. For killing an adversary above your level, you receive 20 System Coins.

'ding' BloodForged Lord has reached level 3. 5 Will and 1 free point received.

'ding' You have killed [Ironfang Squirrel – lvl 5]. For killing an adversary above your level, you receive 20 System Coins.

'ding' You have killed [Ironfang Squirrel – lvl 4]. For killing an adversary above your level, you receive 10 System Coins.

'ding' You have killed [Ironfang Squirrel – lvl 5]. For killing an adversary above your level, you receive 20 System Coins and one Common Health Potion.

'ding' BloodForged Lord has reached level 4. 5 Will and 1 free point received. He had gained two levels and a Health Potion. Guess loot is a thing in this System, after all. Where was the potion, though? He glanced around and spotted the vial lying near his backpack, not far from where the fight had started. He stood up, retrieved his bag and the potion, and moved a bit further away from the bloody battlefield.

He used [Identify] on the item: [Health Potion (Common)]: A standard alchemical concoction brewed from medicinal herbs and infused with mana. It accelerates the body's natural closing of wounds and knitting of bones. Restores 50 Health Points instantly upon consumption. The potion was contained in a small glass vial, no larger than his thumb, sealed with a simple cork. Zander uncorked the vial and drank its contents.

He immediately received a notification: [Health Potion] has been identified as a foreign contaminant. [BloodForged] has nullified its effect. +0 HP He should have expected that. It was time to see if increasing his Resilience impacted his Health regeneration. He checked his status. Health: 97/200 If his calculations were correct, it would take 51 minutes and 30 seconds for his Health to regenerate to full naturally. Using [Blood Infusion] would cut that time in half, to roughly 25 minutes.

He decided to activate [Mind's Dominion] and transfer points into Resilience to see if that altered the rate. Decision made, he took out his smartphone, powered it on, and started a timer. Then, activating both skills, he headed back toward the squirrel carcasses. It looked like he had found a solution to his food problem.