Red Monster

"That’s the payment for almost killing me," Red muttered.

That was when he saw two Elite Kobold Fighters move out, rushing toward him.

He saw them coming and climbed higher, hiding on top of the trees. He didn’t stay in the same tree, moving deeper while ensuring a line of sight on the two Elite Kobold Fighters.

They had the same armor and sword as the one he killed before. He squatted behind a thick canopy, holding a throwing spear in his right hand.

The two Elite Kobold Fighters arrived at the tree from which he shot the fireball. He lost sight of them because they stood on the other side.

Red moved to the right and found one of them trying to climb the tree. One was trying to climb, and the other one was standing below, watching the surroundings.

He didn’t miss the chance; he immediately made his run before throwing the spear toward the climbing kobold. The spear went through the canopy, making a rustling noise.

The noise seemed to catch their attention as both looked toward the spear. The climbing kobold released its grip and let itself fall. That was such a quick reaction from the kobold, even though he attacked from an unexpected direction.

The kobold that stayed on the ground earlier jumped up to the tree, grabbed the branch, and climbed up. It was trying to find Red.

Red already moved to another tree, going deeper while keeping a line of sight on the kobold tree.

"It’s going to be harder than previously..."

These two Elite Kobold Fighters had such a sharp awareness that they noticed his sneak attack. His Infernal Berserk was also on cooldown. That was not going as easily as before.

The second Elite Kobold Fighter also jumped out. Both were now looking for him. It was hide and seek between him and the two.

Red was glad that the two kobolds didn’t stay together all the time. After not finding each other for a moment, they split up. This was his chance.

He followed one of them silently. They could not find him because they were looking for him on the lowest branch, and he was up high there.

The moment his fireball was no longer on cooldown, he set up his ambush. It was the same type of ambush; he waited in the Elite Kobold Fighter’s path and shot the fireball from above.

The distance between him and the ambush was close. It was different when he tried to throw his spear from far above. Even so, the Elite Kobold Fighter sensed the incoming fireball. It looked up and almost reacted, but the distance was too close. The fireball hit the chest, sending the Elite Kobold Fighter crashing down.

Red was ready with his spear, jumping down to another branch. He threw the spear down at the falling kobold. There was no way he was going to miss. As the kobold landed on the ground, the spear pierced the kobold’s right chest.

He was about to pull a second spear until he heard noises. The rustling noises startled him. He didn’t even look toward the noise as he jumped on the branch below him.

Red heard the smacking sound, the sword hitting the branch. He didn’t stop moving, running toward another tree. He climbed up to another, moving in a circle while maintaining a line of sight at the Elite Kobold Fighter on the ground.

He could still hear the sound of movement behind him, and he was having a hard time shaking off the pursuit. That was when he made a decision as he kept going down to the lower branch.

That was when he jumped down from a tree, landing on the falling kobold’s head side. With the spear in his head, he pierced the kobold’s head through the gap between the helmet.

Red wanted to kill this one before it could recover and gang up on him. That was why he made such a decision to come down. In that exact moment, something huge landed behind him with a loud thud.

He didn’t hesitate to kick the ground, leaping forward. He heard a loud swoosh sound in the air as the sword missed him. Again, he didn’t look up, running up to the tree.

Before he could reach the first branch, the Elite Kobold Fighter landed on the tree above him with a single jump. He quickly released his grip, sliding down the tree. That was his mistake because the Elite Kobold Fighter followed him, jumping down and landing on the ground faster.

Red was about to climb up again until the kobold grabbed his right ankle. A massive force pulled him down, slamming him to the ground. His head buzzed, and he got dizzy from that slam. The moment his vision cleared, he saw the kobold bringing his sword down.

He rolled to the left, avoiding the sword, kicking the ground, and lunging forward. He scrambled around, trying to get back on his feet. A shadow hovered from behind, and he quickly threw himself to the right.

The sword hit the root with a thud, sending splinters all around.

’Fireball... Is my fireball still on cooldown?’

He tried to use it, but nothing came out. That meant the skill was still on cooldown.

’Tree... I need to climb up a tree...’

Before he could find a tree, his left waist was hit with something hard and powerful. His body bent to the side, and he was sent flying. His vision blurred, and he hit the ground, bouncing off several times.

He tasted something in his mouth: his blood. Then he hit something hard before stopping. His back, head, and arms were in pain. But he managed to get back on his feet, leaning against the tree. Getting flung away might help him get away from the kobold.

That was when he saw the Elite Kobold Fighter charging at him. He raised his right arm, activating Fireball with five times the mana. He quickly released the fireball.

It seemed to catch the kobold off guard. It tried to dodge, but there was no way it could avoid the fireball when they were this close. The fireball hit the kobold and exploded.