"Huh? It hurts!" Jean's eyes fluttered open, her body wracked with discomfort and spasms.
"Wait, where are my clothes?" She sat up, suddenly feeling the chill. Glancing down, she noticed her nakedness, her face flushing deep red.
"Must have been the high voltage; it burned your clothes to ashes!" Logan laughed despite the pain, trying to lighten the mood amidst their harrowing escape.
His attire was also reduced to ashes, but thankfully, his armor remained intact, modestly shielding everything essential.
"What are you staring at? Don't look!" Jean said, her cheeks coloring with embarrassnt as she covered her chest with one hand and attempted to block Logan's eyes with the other.
"If you won't let see, I'll just go look at soone else!" Logan retorted playfully.
"Also, it's not I haven't seen anything, so why are you blocking my view?" he added with a hint of irritation.
"Ugh, you're incorrigible!" Jean exclaid, dropping her hands in resignation.
She then retrieved a new set of clothes from her space ring and quickly dressed herself.
"You were so reckless jumping down there. Weren't you afraid of landing right on the Thunderbird's face?" Logan chided, recalling how he had noticed her daring leap too late to intervene.
"Hmph, when I jump, it's reckless, but when you do, it's what, heroic?" Jean countered as she adjusted her clothes. "Besides, if I hadn't jumped, you might have been electrocuted to death. Better to jump and face it together!"
Logan said nothing, but deep down, he was profoundly moved. Jean had risked her life for him, what more could he possibly ask for?
Just then, a pitiful "Chirp~~~!" reached their ears.
"My God, this beast is so stubborn. I slashed at it, you slashed at it, and it still isn't dead after falling from such a height," Logan said, amazed at the Thunderbird's tenacity.
"If it's still alive, let's finish it off. If we get hungry, we can eat its at!" Jean suggested with a grim determination.
"Okay!" Logan agreed, knowing well the rarity of at from a fifth-level monster.
After their prolonged battle with the Thunderbird, both were thoroughly exhausted.
Suddenly, Manticore neighed sharply and beat its wings vigorously, veering southward.
"What's happening?" Jean asked, alard.
Logan's expression turned grave. "Manticore is fleeing. Could there be a more powerful monster nearby?"
Just as he spoke, a series of desperate chirps filled the air.
"Chirp..."
"Chirp~~~..."
"Chirp~~chirp~"
Logan and Jean turned around, their faces blanching as they beheld the sight.
A whole flock of Thunderbirds approached, darkening the sky with their numbers, hundreds of them!
Ten minutes had passed.
"Chirp~~"
"Chirp~~"
"Chirp!!!"
Silence enveloped the air, punctured only by the urgent flapping of wings.
Above the mist-covered expanse stretching from the ominous Black Wind Mountains to the Silver Mane Tribe, Logan and Jean were desperately sprinting through the sky. Below them, the formidable wings of the Manticore thrashed against the wind in a relentless pursuit.
Close behind, a formidable swarm of thunderbirds surged forward like a living storm, their cries echoing like the roar of thunder.
Under Logan's keen gaze, he noted that among the hundreds, only a handful were of the fourth level, but their sheer number posed a dire threat. Even seasoned aerial creatures would think twice before tangling with such a horde.
"By the gods, they're relentless!" Logan spat, feeling the adrenaline surge through his veins.
Jean, glancing nervously over his shoulder at the rapidly approaching mass of feathers and talons, felt a chill run down his spine. "What's our play here? If they don't let up, we'll never make it back to the tribe."
"Keep flying! If they persist, we'll have to veer off course!" Logan commanded, his eyes scanning the terrain below. They were still fifty miles from the safety of the Silver Mane Tribe. The thunderbirds could not be led back to the tribe; the risk of casualties was too high.
Suddenly, a curious sensation interrupted his thoughts.
"Huh? Could it be... the fighting core is activated?" Logan murmured, astounded as a surge of energy cascaded from the core above his head, flooding his body with a milky white aura.
The raw power of his spirit materialized visibly around him, sparking with potential.
Had he achieved a breakthrough?
Stunned, Logan wondered how this sudden advancent had occurred. Perhaps the electric charge from the thunderbirds had accelerated his growth?
"Have you ascended to the sixth level?" Jean asked, awe coloring his tone as he witnessed the swirling energy.
"Yes, it seems the shock from those thunderbirds has hastened the awakening of my fighting core," Logan replied, feeling the newfound strength coursing through him.
Level Six, The power of high-level warriors.
Only at this stage could a fighter harness their spirit, master advanced combat skills, and truly be deed a warrior. Logan couldn't help but feel a rush of exhilaration at the prospect, even as danger lood ever closer.
Despite there being only a single tier between the fifth and sixth levels, the disparity in power is profound, as vast as that between earth and sky.
At level six, taking a level five opponent is as effortless as slicing through ripe fruit with a sharp blade. Yet, the sheer numbers of those at the fifth level still pose a credible threat to a lone warrior of the sixth.
"How is this even possible? You've just advanced from the fifth level!" Jean exclaid in disbelief upon hearing Logan's confirmation.
Could the dragon blood potion really be that potent? And if so, why had it not granted her similar strength when she was at the fifth level?
"It's simply not fair!"
The piercing cries of the pursuing thunderbirds yanked them back from their reverie.
"Are they still behind us?"
"Jean, do you have any weapons left in your space ring?" Logan inquired, his voice tense. Without a weapon, even his new-found strength felt inadequate.
"No, my last sword was lost to a Thunderbird," Jean replied, shaking his head in frustration.
Logan felt a twinge of helplessness; he had just achieved a significant breakthrough and was eager to test his enhanced abilities, yet he was unard.
"Should we continue this way?" Jean asked, uncertainty marking his tone.
Logan glanced back over the barren landscape below. They were only thirty miles from the Silver Mane Tribe. An idea sparked in his eyes, and a sly grin spread across his face.
"Wait, let's go towards east!" he suggested with sudden inspiration.
"Alright!"
With that, the Manticore swiveled, its massive body cutting through the air towards the east. The thunderbirds, relentless as ever, adjusted their course to match.
"Jean, do you see that settlent over there?" Logan pointed towards the horizon where a large werewolf settlent lood, grander than their own Silver Mane Tribe. The advantage of their aerial position was clear, offering them a strategic view of their surroundings, revealing a haven over ten miles away.
"I see it!"
"Let's head there. We'll make our descent into that tribe!" Logan decided, hoping that the size and strength of the werewolf settlent could provide them with a respite and possibly aid against their relentless pursuers.
"Ah???"
Jean's shock was palpable. The strategy seed reckless, even dangerous. "Are you suggesting we dive straight into another tribe's territory? The thunderbirds will attack them!"
"Ah what, indeed!" Logan retorted sharply. "We're not just fleeing for our lives here. That tribe is a major adversary of the Silver Mane Tribe within a hundred miles. We could use the thunderbirds' assault to our advantage, strike them hard."
The tribe to the east, the Duskin Tribe, a settlent of about five to six thousand beastn, had always been a thorn in their side. If they could turn the thunderbirds' nace against them, why not indeed?
"I see your point," Jean conceded.
"Airlan, set course for that location!"
With no further objections and understanding the strategy, Jean directed the Manticore to head towards the Duskin Tribe.
Soon, they neared the outskirts of the Duskin settlent. Their approach did not go unnoticed; the beastn below quickly gathered, their expressions a mix of curiosity and alarm.
"Descend now!"
Under Jean's command, the Manticore swiftly descended into the heart of the Duskin Tribe. The surrounding beastn looked on in surprise, but it wasn't long before soldiers started converging on their location.
"Airlan, run!" Logan urged as he spotted the soldiers closing in. Without wasting a mont, he instructed the Manticore to plunge deeper into the tribal territory.
The Manticore, a formidable beast on the ground, scurried forward. Its scorpion-like limbs, allowed it to move with astonishing speed, far outpacing its aerial capabilities.
In their rapid dash, so of the Duskin beastn were unable to dodge in ti. They were either knocked aside or ensnared by the thorns adorning the Manticore's robust body.
"It's ti for so tricks," Logan muttered to himself, settling into what felt like a sports car version of the Manticore.
He discreetly accessed the system panel. Given the strength of the Duskin Tribe, which hosted several sixth-level warriors but seemingly no seventh-level ones, evidenced by their previous concessions during Mamuti's kidnapping, it was a risky situation. Logan prepared to employ so strategic trickery, readying to use a thousand reputation points for an essential upgrade.
This wasn't just about survival now; it was about turning the tables in an audacious ga of power and prowess.
Soon, the milky white aura of fighting energy surrounding Logan surged with newfound intensity, becoming several tis more formidable than before.
Jean shot Logan a puzzled look. "Why are you flaunting your power now? Showing off that you've broken through to the sixth level again?"
Little did Jean know, Logan had clandestinely used a gaming enhancent, propelling him to the status of a seventh-level warrior.
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