BXBX NOVEL Chapter 218
[Try pushing the rock and jumping in the opposite direction. I can reuse Soul Visit a few more times before I can barely maintain my form.]
Vincent understood what was happening clearly. The moment his vision turned dark, Vincent saw Kazumi, Wolfie beside her wagging its tail, and Freerie flying after each other as if it was an air show flying in a heart pattern.
“I’ll be back. ” Vincent said, brimming with motivation to succeed.
Kazumi stoped Soul Visit to conserve her mana as the ability had an active and upkeep cost. The darkness started dissipating, and the descending rock frozen in time to the eyes of the perception accelerated Vincent appeared too close for comfort. He was cutting it close.
Vincent was like a person with his body stuck in time, begging his limbs to move at every millisecond of passing time. Slowly but gradually, the time was returning as his accelerated perception decreased to its normal speed.
However, nothing is without a cost. Even if his mind was commanding his body to move, the body can’t move without time by itself. There needed to be a starting point where the force could start the movement of the body, but time was frozen in his accelerated mind.
*Snap* was the sound his arm muscles made to promote the movement even if they moved by a fraction as time gradually returned.
*Pop* was the sound his shoulder made to promote his arms to push the rock even if the difference was microscopic as he tried to surpass the flow of time.
.....
Vincent felt pain rushing to his brain, but fighting against time always has a price to pay. One millisecond after the other, time gradually started returning back to its former pace.
Vincent wanted to raise a smirk at the progress he was making, but his cheeks were practically frozen in time. He could see the mutated living liquid blood completely covering his arms and hardening while taking form. He could see his hands slowly but surely approaching the rock at a heavy price on the body.
“Argh!!!” Vincent shouted as his arms moved forward, bending the laws of time to move more than they should in that specific speck in time. The price started accumulating, and his muscles were getting wrecked in the process.
The payment for moving more than his body could handle was painful. However, even if this achievement was grand, it wasn’t enough to push the rock away. As if his effort was insignificant to the rock’s momentum and gravitational pull.
With all these things happening in the span of about a second, Vincent managed to slightly alter the direction of the rock and caused force to push his body away.
“Ugh!” Vincent fell to the ground with his arms barely able to move.
Ester, “Vincent!”
Lupa, “My Mate!”
Iris, “V-vincent!”
The three shouted while rushing to Vincent’s side.
[Overheat already pushes your body more than it can perform, and you also should have gained an extra ten points in each stat because of Iris.]
[Your body isn’t accustomed to the new increase in strength. Additionally, you forced your body to move too much in that brief second. I think starting the momentum to move your body and guide the direction while allowing your body to move along the flow of time should lessen the burden on your body.]
[But... I feel bad for not realizing sooner about the strain on your...]
-Death or pain. You had no choice but to use Soul Visit and save my life. I know what you are feeling deep down, Kazumi. Don’t blame yourself. You saved my life again.-
[Hump! You better stop spouting nonsense and heal yourself. Ester, Lupa, and Iris are worried about you.]
Kazumi became relieved Vincent was trying to comfort her while the situation started to become grim. No ordinary grizzly bear can throw a rock with so much force.
Vincent soon felt his facial expression would make Ester, Lupa, and Iris worry. He tried his hardest to show a composed face while looking at the three worried women asking for his condition.
“Don’t worry. I’m alive. And Iris, I know that look, and no, you shouldn’t have died so that I don’t get hurt.” Vincent said with his hoarse voice wavering from pain.
Iris placed her hands on her chest and clenched her leaf dress while saying, “But it’s my fault!” with a troubled expression never leaving her face.
“Let me heal some of my injuries first. ” Vincent said with a forced smile. Then he grunted, “Soul Power Minor Heal,” twice. He hoped two times were enough.
.
[-10sp used for Soul Power Minor Heal on Vincent Agius. Host discount activates. 90sp Remaining.]
[-10sp used for Soul Power Minor Heal on Vincent Agius. Host discount activates. 80sp Remaining.]
.
A layer of healing light appeared and dissipated a few seconds later. Vincent moved his arms, trembling from pain, but they could at least move at his command.
“I will help.” Iris took out a few herbs and a numb mushroom from her leaf pouches.
“Swallow this and chew this. Then eat this mushroom. The remaining herbs I would like to give you are in my hiding spot behind the cave. I will go for them when I have the chance.” Iris tried her best to help Vincent recover.
Vincent gladly accepted Iris’s help and followed the instructions of the doctor. “Thank you. I feel better now.” He thanked her with a smile.
.
[Condition] Injured, Tired, Minor Numbness (Body) (23min), Minor Health Regeneration (2min), Minor Stamina Regeneration (30sec)
[Stats] Strength 49 || Agility 48 || Perception 48 || Mana 48
.
Vincent checked his condition and noticed how effective everything Iris provided. He also felt happy about the new stats gained from Overheat’s fourth retainer stat bonus.
Vincent got up, helped by his harem. After taking a single breather, the shaking of the ground increased enough for everyone to feel it. After feeling what Lupa felt dozens of meters far, the chance of running away was over.
[Vincent, prepare for the worst. The rock is giving me bad vibes, and I can feel some mana emitting from it. I hope it’s not another Demonic Beast... ]
.
*Goblins alive 65/30 (Met)
.
When Kazumi was warning Vincent, she abruptly stopped when more goblins died. A moment later, five goblins appeared from behind the trees running for their lives and heading in their direction.
“Basterds!” Vincent felt so angry that he wished to kill the goblins fleeing in their direction. The selfishness the fleeing goblins displayed by leading the bears towards other goblins made Vincent infuriated.
A few goblins hiding in the trees saw the five goblins appear and run towards Vincent, Ester, Lupa, Iris, and her father, the current leader of their tribe.
Many of the hiding goblins understood how they were about to be used as bait for the five fleeing goblins to escape in one piece. It caused an uproar and resentment.
The chance of the hiding goblins to attack the five goblins leading a disaster to their location, increased with every step the five goblins took.
“Gobe!” Iris’s father shouted with an angered, contorted face.
Iris looked at Vincent and noticed how he was also angry at the approaching goblins. “My father has exiled them for the dishonor of bringing ruin to our tribe. They aren’t a part of our tribe anymore.” She translated.
*Roar*
A loud roar rang in the eardrums of everyone nearby. Shortly, a grizzly bear appeared.
It was about ten feet tall when it stood on its hind legs while glaring with a pair of bloodshot eyes full of murder and rage. Additionally, the grizzly bear had small golden patterns on its brown fur.
*Boom!*
Another rock descended from the sky. It landed with pinpoint accuracy in between the five goblins.
.
*Goblins alive 60/30 (Met)
.
As soon as the cloud of dust scattered, the goblins were no more.
*ROAR!!!*
A loud deafening roar rang in everyone’s ears forcing the need to cover the ears as tight as possible.
The goblins hiding on trees many meters far away managed to keep themselves from falling from the branches. Ester, Iris, and her father grit their teeth and almost fell on their knee.
However, Lupa’s reaction was different. Heightened hearing is a blessing and a curse. As such, Lupa almost fell after becoming disoriented, but a pair of warm gauntlets hastily caught her fall and quickly helped to cover her ears.
Lupa squinted her eyes and caught a scent of familiar blood. Lupa looked closely and noticed a trickle of blood sliding from Vincent’s ears. “Your ears!” She exclaimed with her heart devastated from guilt.
“Don’t worry, my little wolf... I can still hear...” Vincent replied with a shaky hoarse voice and a face slightly grimacing from the pain. Vincent didn’t want to tell Lupa how he could barely hear her voice from one ear.
.
[Notice]
[The host has suffered pain in a body part, and the damage requirements have been met.]
[Mutation Trait: Pain Mitigation changed from stage one (5/10 | 5%) to stage one (6/10 | 6%)]
.
The moment the notification window with Pain Mitigation raising by one percent appeared, Vincent felt slightly better.
Despite the pain mitigation increasing by one percent and marginally reduce the feeling of pain, Vincent was fortunately under the effects of the Numb Mushroom Iris gave him.
[Vincent look! The second one is appearing...]