The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 12: The Wisdom of Battle

Lumián's mind was completely focused.

When things were about to happen, he was not as terrified as he had been earlier. Although his body was still trembling a bit, he no longer felt like he was on the brink of collapse.

"I should have died five years ago. Thanks to Aurel, I'm still alive and have gained five extra years. What's there to fear now?" Lumián gritted his teeth, encouraging himself in his mind.

In the next moment, he saw the surface of the first trap covered with loose soil growing dimmer.

A shadow arrived beside it, blocking out the faint light penetrating through the thick mist from above.

The shadow was a half-man, half-beast creature, carrying a shotgun. Its blood-red eyes scanned the ground, and its forward-bent "knees" curled up.

Just a breath later, the creature, clad in a dark jacket and muddy pants, took off its shotgun and leaped into the air. Controlling its height, it jumped over the trap and landed on the solid, cracked ground.

Almost simultaneously, it turned its greasy black head towards the source of a faint sound.

It saw Lumián, who was panic-stricken, hurriedly getting up and trying to hide behind the wall.

With a low growl, the creature jumped high again, pouncing towards its target.

It aimed for a spot slightly outward from where Lumián had been, to avoid a fatal blow if Lumián turned around while it was still unsteady.

Lumián, meanwhile, had disappeared behind the wall in a mix of crawling and running.

The moment the creature landed, the soil beneath its feet could no longer support its weight and began to collapse into a suddenly appeared deep pit.

Thud!

The sound of the heavy object hitting the ground echoed, mingled with what sounded like a mouse's screech.

Lumián, who had taken cover behind the wall, couldn't help but feel a surge of intense joy at this sight.

The first step was successful!

This made the remaining fear within him disappear by more than half. He grabbed the steel fork beside him and ran towards the edge of the trap.

The previous skinned creature had left a strong impression on him with its tenacity, and now that the target had a shotgun, he kept his distance from the edge of the deep pit. He stopped a little away and started stabbing inside with the steel fork.

Suddenly, the fork grew heavy and stopped.

Immediately, a powerful force was transmitted through the fork, pulling him towards the trap.

Lumián was caught off guard and slid forward a step.

Without bothering to check the situation at the bottom of the pit, he dropped the fork, turned his body, and leaped towards the side of the still-standing wall.

Bang!

He felt a heavy impact on his back, as if hit by a giant hammer.

Lumián felt a metallic taste in his throat, and his head spun with the feeling of impending collapse.

He fell to the ground and lost his balance, rolling several times before regaining control and getting back up.

Almost simultaneously, he saw the half-man, half-beast creature jumping out of the deep pit.

It was holding the single-barreled shotgun, with its jacket ripped open at the chest and abdomen, revealing several gaping wounds filled with yellowish fluid and dark red blood flowing out, exposing various internal organs.