“RUBY!!!!!!!!!!”

 

Luluka shouted, seeing Ruby fall onto the ground. She rushed toward Ruby and turned her body around to face the sky.

 

Seeing blood pouring out of Ruby's torn shoulder, Luluka started to feel despair. In reflex, she put her hands on the wound, hoping to stop the blood somehow. 

 

But it didn’t help much as blood still kept pouring out.

 

“Ruby, please! Ruby! Stay with me! Don’t die!” Luluka cried out desperately, trying to wake Ruby up.

 

“*cough* *cough* M-M’lad…dy…” Ruby weakly opened her eyes and called out to her mistress.

 

Seeing Ruby still alive, a faint hope appeared in Luluka’s heart. She could feel a ray of light faintly shone in the pit of darkness. 

 

*slap!*

 

Luluka slapped her own cheeks to regain her senses. Ruby’s blood on her hands stained her cheeks, but Luluka couldn’t care less about that.

 

Although Ruby was still alive, her injury was so severe. She needed to do something before Ruby died from blood loss.

 

But—Luluka didn’t have any healing magic spells. She could only find another way to heal Ruby.

 

Then a sudden realization hit her!

 

‘Yes, there’s that!’

 

Luluka touched her neck, trying to search for something, but the damn collar made it difficult to search.

 

Tsk! Luluka clicked her tongue in annoyance.

 

She activated her skill [Blood Manipulation] and created a red dagger from it. She then cut the metal collar with her dagger.

 

Unsurprisingly, the collar fell apart soon after and dropped onto the ground. Previously, when she tried to do this, the collar began to choke her, but now that her supposed master had died, the command was reset.

 

Now that the collar was gone, Luluka tried to search for something on her neck again, but she couldn’t find what she was looking for…

 

‘Where the hell is it!?’ Luluka started to become impatient. Time was running against her.

 

Then she realized something.

 

She ran to the old man’s corpse and pulled out a ring from his finger. She equipped it and began pouring her mana into the ring.

 

An information rushed into her head, when suddenly-

 

*ding!* A notification sound rang out. A blue translucent screen appeared in front of her. 

 

On a screen were slots full of different kinds of items. Luluka searched for the item from each slot for a while, until she found what she was looking for.

 

‘There it is!’ A delighted smile appeared on her face.

 

She mentally chose that item, and not long after it appeared on her hand.

 

It was Luluka’s pendant.

 

It had the power to regenerate, so this would help Ruby for the time being. 

 

Didn’t waste any time, Luluka approached Ruby and put the pendant on her neck. Right after that, it began to show its effect. Ruby’s wound started to close, but at a slow pace.

 

Actually, this pendant’s regeneration speed was quite fast, but Ruby’s wound was too severe. And to grow a lost limb, it would take some time.

 

Seeing her pendant started to show effect, Luluka smiled delightedly as she could feel hope, but then—

 

*roarrrrr!!!!*

 

A roar suddenly rang out loudly. Luluka became alert as she swiftly turned to look at where the sound came from.

 

Not far away from them, stood a huge monster that looked like a white tiger. Its eyes were bloodshot and the aura it exuded was immense.

 

Alabaster Tiger.

 

It was one of the most powerful monsters in the middle-level range. Newbie adventurers could only run for their life when facing this monster. Only a veteran adventurer could defeat it.

 

The Alabaster Tiger wasn’t that rare of a monster, but—

 

‘What the hell is it doing here!? This level of monster should be in the deeper part of the forest!’

 

Luluka was astonished to see this powerful middle-level monster suddenly appear on the edge of the forest. 

 

Then she noticed something.

 

The white tiger was chewing on some meat…

 

When Luluka saw what it was, blood began to rush to her face as her anger started to boil again.

 

It was Ruby’s arm…

 

The white tiger was chewing and devouring Ruby’s arm like a delicious meal.

 

Luluka furrowed her eyebrows and clenched her fists tightly. Her body started to tremble.

 

“You damn monster! I’ll fucking kill you!” Luluka shouted out angrily.

 

Ignoring Luluka’s rage, wind started to gather around the tiger’s body. It began to condense and became more violent!

 

Luluka was alert upon seeing this.

 

‘It’s gonna charge!’ 

 

Right away, she activated [Blood Manipulation] and created a shield the moment the tiger charged at her at an insane speed!

 

“Argg!” Luluka was sent flying due to the impact. Luckily, the Blood Shield protected her, or else she would have suffered a severe injury from that attack.

 

Then, what happened next left Luluka in a panic. The tiger turned its bloodshot-eyes toward Ruby!

 

“No! Ruby!” 

 

Luluka activated her skill again and created five Blood Bullets. It hovered in the air until it shot toward the tiger!

 

The Blood Bullets traveled at fast speed, but—the moment it landed on the tiger’s body, it turned into a mist and disappeared!

 

The wind around its body protected it, preventing the Blood Bullets from piercing through.

 

Although her attack was ineffective, Luluka was able to successfully draw its attention on her. The tiger eyed Luluka fiercely as the wind around its body became more violent!

 

Seeing the tiger preparing to attack her again, Luluka tried to come up with a plan.

 

The tiger charged at her again, but this time Instead of creating a Blood Shield, Luluka dodge it at fast speed!

 

*Boom!*

 

A small crater appeared on the ground from the tiger attack! Its strength was no joke!

 

Luluka was able to dodge its attack thanks to her new skill, Rush. It was the skill she got from drinking the Horned-Boar’s blood. 

 

It would allow the user to increase their speed to a certain extent for a short period of time. A red aura surrounding Luluka was the sign of her activating this skill.

 

Seeing its prey being able to dodge its attack, the tiger became irritated. It turned toward Luluka and opened its mouth widely. 

 

Wind started to gather in front of its mouth and condense into a sphere, the size of a basketball. Then the sphere shot toward Luluka at fast speed!

 

*boom!!*

 

The explosive sound rang out as dust scattered everywhere. When the dust cleared up, a crater was on the ground but Luluka was nowhere to be seen.

 

The tiger looked here and there, searching for its prey. Finally, it spotted Luluka in the far distance.

 

It gathered the wind around its legs and rushed at Luluka like a rocket!

 

Luluka also ran away from it at fast speed! Once she reached quite a far distance from the carriage, Luluka stopped and dodged to the side.

 

*boom!*

 

Dust scattered again from the impact. Then, a violent wind blasted out, clearing all the dust away.

 

Luluka was standing there with a red scythe in her hand. Her eyes turned blood red and glinted dangerously.

 

She bent her body forward and lashed at the tiger. She swung her scythe, aiming at its neck!

 

*boom!*

 

An explosive sound rang out as wind exploded around the tiger, sending Luluka flying backward.

 

Luluka landed onto the ground and tried her best to regain her balance. The tiger didn’t wait as it shot multiple wind blades at Luluka!

 

The wind blades cut through everything in its path as it came rushing at high speed. Luluka tried her best to dodge, but its number overwhelmed her, leaving her with deep cuts all over her body!

 

Luluka gritted her teeth to endure the pain. Her wounds didn’t regenerate like before, since her pendant wasn’t with her right now. She could only continue to fight in such a state.

 

Seeing its attack working, it began using the same attack again. Luluka tried to get away from the wind blades, but just like before, the number overwhelmed her.

 

Her injuries increased as her clothes started to soak with blood. 

 

She felt pain all over her body, but she could only endure and dodged the next attack.

 

This kept on for a while. The tiger kept attacking Luluka with wind blades and Luluka tried to get away from it but ended up getting cut, then the next moment, another barrage of wind blades would come rushing at her again.

 

Luluka realized that she was fighting a losing battle. 

 

She could only dodge the monster’s attack since her most powerful skill, Blood Manipulation, was ineffective. It couldn’t penetrate through the tiger’s wind defense.

 

‘Tsk! What should I do..? I’m no match for this monster..’ Luluka gritted her teeth as she began to think hard of how to defeat this monster.

 

The white tiger started to prepare its next attack. Intending to finish its prey in one go, it began activating its most powerful magic.

 

Wind started to dance violently everywhere. The tree leaves swayed and the sound of wind was getting louder and louder.

 

It was as if a storm was coming.

 

Luluka’s eyes widened upon realizing what the monster was going to do.

 

‘An AOE magic!’ She started to panic.

 

Her body was trembling due to fear and the chilly wind around her body. The wind became fiercer and fiercer as each second passed by.

 

Luluka tried to think of a way to get out of this. But it was no use, this attack had an extremely wide range.

 

She wouldn’t be able to get out of this.

 

‘Damn it.. What should I do..? Even my most powerful skill was ineffective against this monster…’

 

‘Am I… gonna die here?’

 

‘But, if I die here then, Ruby will…’

 

Clenching her fist tightly, her brain was working at a fast speed. But then a realization hit her!

 

‘Wait… My most powerful skill?’

 

Upon realizing this, her eyes widened in surprise. She suddenly felt like she was such a fool.

 

‘How could I forget? My most powerful skill isn’t Blood Manipulation.’

 

Seemingly finding a way to get out of this and even defeat this monster, a fierce smile crept on Luluka’s face.

 

She looked at her blood stained hands and her smile became wider.

 

‘Thank you Ruby. If I win this fight, the victory is yours.’

 

Thinking so, Luluka brought her hands to her mouth and licked the blood off of it. A familiar delicious flavor rushed through her tongue, making her almost lost in this addictive feeling.

 

*ding!* A notification suddenly rang out as a blue translucent window popped up in front of her.

 

Luluka read the information on the screen for a while, until she found what she was looking for.

 

‘Alright then. Let’s check this out.’

 

Then, with a fierce smile on her face, she muttered her new skill’s name.

 

“[Blood Sacrifice]”