I stood on top of a mountain, looking back at the demon. It was casually pursuing me at a distance. The biggest challenge monsters faced on the surface was the lack of ambient Mana. It affected their regeneration to a much greater extent.
Also, captive monsters didn't grow cores as easily. It was something minor, but also important.
The real question was the demon's sensory range and whether I could lose it in the dungeon, though I didn't want to reveal the dungeon entrance to it out in the White Waste.
The demon was staring back with its red eyes. I used Status Analysis on it and got static back. Hopefully, my attempt would annoy the demon. At that moment, I observed movement in the distance. A significantly larger group of beastkin was also engaged in pursuit of both parties.
They were too distant to gauge their strength, but I guessed they matched the beastkin I'd fought earlier. Now there were ten.
The demon, at a lower elevation, clearly focused on me. It didn't understand there was a group in pursuit of both of us, most likely me, but it was impossible to tell who the beastkin would prioritize in a fight.
Their racial animus against humans would run deep, but the demon was a monster. A thinking, highly dangerous, intelligent monster. The real challenge would be creating a situation where both groups would fight each other.
What would be the ideal engagement? I would have to work backwards from that to figure out how to set it up for the beastkin and the demon to fight each other, then I move in and finish them all off.
But that was incredibly high-risk. I beat the five beastkin but only killed one. I wouldn't be able to beat ten. They would swarm me. The demon could easily retreat since he had the stats of a legend. His combat experience was fine-tuned for beastkin, which was why it had made mistakes fighting me.
The demon was designed to engage melee opponents. It used Ward as a spell skill only once and did not use other spells. Its Mana levels appeared to be low. It is possible that it could not return to the dungeon due to insufficient Mana.
There were too many unknowns now. I would slow my pace slightly and let the beastkin catch up to about an hour behind me by tomorrow midday. That would let me judge what they would do and what the demon would do as well.
I still hadn't found the mountain where Ozy had made the ice pillar. Though I was heading the right way, several mountains made it hard to distinguish the large pillar from the cloudy, snow-covered peaks.
I struggled to find a way to make the demon and beastkin fight, but it was impossible—the demon could escape easily, and the beastkin couldn't keep up. That meant I was their only target.
Although there were many others, an hour head start offered a clear advantage. The open terrain of these mountains made it difficult for anyone to approach undetected, unless exceptional stealth skills were involved.
I knew the demon and the beastkin didn't have such skills. At least the ones pursuing me. That type of skill would be tier 4, probably tier 5, which would mean a legend. If there were a legend, they wouldn't be moving as part of a large group.
Even the beastkin didn't move during the night. They had their own methods of creating shelter in the harsh cold, but from my conversations with Whiteclaw, I knew they didn't travel at night or during the dark season.
The cold and wind were just too much. Even with gear and Cold Resistance, it was just asking to be frozen to death. Even Cold Immunity was likely to break after being exposed to such chilling winds.
The following day, I wanted a commanding view by midday. I chose my route carefully, going for a cliff face that was 20 meters straight up. It was a brutal climb up, and I made it thanks to Ozy using flight and grabbing onto my back. While he couldn't fly with me, he could lighten my weight.
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At the top of the cliff, I saw my pursuers below. The demon paused, its left arm nearly healed, and stared at me. As the beastkin team appeared over a ridge, they saw us both; the demon shifted its gaze toward them.
The question was how the other two groups would react. Would they fight? Cooperation wasn't an option, since the demon had killed the previous beastkin team. If working together were possible, I wouldn't have provoked a confrontation.
Everyone hesitated, expecting someone else to act. Even though the demon and I stood alone, the others pursued me. If they turned on each other, I'd wait until the fight was almost over before joining in.
The demon's hesitation revealed its lack of confidence in a swift, flawless victory. That distinction marks the gap between a legend and a supreme legend; the latter can dominate the battlefield with superior skill.
Individuals who are less skilled may affect a legend. It is possible that even a highly accomplished legend could encounter challenges from others of similar status, although this seems unlikely. Although I considered the demon to be comparable to a legend, its abilities did not match the range typically associated with a human legend.
The demon was insanely dangerous. If we truly fought to the death, it would likely win. I would give it 8 or 9 out of every 10 fights. It wasn't completely hopeless, but it simply outclassed me with pure stats. My skills would help, but it would figure them out, learn, and wear me down.
Recovering its arm and hand signaled trouble, so I encouraged both groups to confront each other to settle the chase.
The beastkin spread out and began advancing on the demon. They were close enough to support each other, but far enough apart that they could flank the demon if it moved on any one individual.
The demon glanced in my direction once more before moving off to the side. Unlike creatures that act without thought, it could devise strategies. Instead of attacking immediately, it chose a different approach.
I then turned and moved away as well.
I adjusted my path so that the beastkin needed to cross the demon's location to reach me. This situation developed as expected.
Upon reaching the top of the next mountain, I observed the demon was positioned behind me to my left, while the beastkin was behind me to my right but at a greater distance. This arrangement formed an uneven triangle. Both opposing groups proceeded parallel to my path.
None of the groups cooperated; each hoped the others would clash so the third could come out on top.
Both the beastkin and the demon could defeat me, and the demon would likely overcome the beastkin. I was the weakest in the standoff, but I held the initiative as everyone pursued me.
The beastkin probably lacked spatial storage, as even their legends considered such items extremely rare. Without skilled craftsmen, they could only obtain them from fallen Eldarin Continent individuals.
And there was no legend among the beastkin. That meant they had to carry all their supplies. While they had higher stats and physical skills, they could only last so long here at the End of the World.
The demon required Mana, not food, and was likely severely Mana starved. While this would restrict its skills and slow its actions, its stats remained intact. What worried me most was how quickly it had recovered.
If I intervened in a fight, I would have to target it with a lethal blow and kill it no matter what before it could escape.
The sky grew dark and cold. I stopped on the slope, watching the other groups halt moments later.
The demon likely possessed a high-level cold skill, perhaps Cold Absorption. That explains its ability to survive in these conditions.
The beastkin set up camp, while Ozy built me an igloo. The demon watched both groups closely.
If it attacked either group during the night, the other would have difficulty responding. It appeared to be considering which target to choose. The entity had been injured once already, which could lead it to act with caution. It was aware of the typical abilities and combat methods of the beastkin. There were ten members in that group.
It could also choose to wait. By stopping, the initiative was in the demon's hands. But there was no other choice. I ate quite a bit to ensure I topped off my reserves. I couldn't afford anything less than the maximum amount.
I drew my sword. "Vibration Blade."
The demon might attack at any moment, so I started working on the task. I cut a rock to make a thin rectangular stone plate and carved runes into it with precision. Unlike a paper tag, the stone plate would not activate easily. Once I finished the runes, I had to fill them with Mana quickly.
Instead of infusing Mana ahead of time like with a paper tag, I kept the stone plate uncharged so I could just add Mana when needed. This simplified things since my Mana control wasn't strong enough yet.
The beastkin had only basic rune knowledge, merely repeating familiar patterns. There were no specialist rune masters among them, and if any existed, they wouldn't be sent into battle.
The demon only had access to the beastkin's knowledge, giving me an edge. I planned to make three stone plates and store them in my spatial pouch.
The demon's use of Cold Absorption introduced a vulnerability once the skill was identified. Understanding an opponent's abilities can be advantageous. As the demon learned about my capabilities, I also gained insights into its skills.
My carving likely affected the demon, which, being sensitive to Mana and in a low-Mana environment, could sense my actions. It would hesitate, wary of a trap, and might instead attack the beastkin.