[Wake up.]

..Is something coming..?

[No, but it’s been several hours and the meat is long since dry. Unless you planned to spend the night here, I think it’s time to wake up.]

Ah shit, I guess I forgot to tell you what time to wake me up at huh...Anyway, it's good that you did, thank you.

[Of course. So what are your plans for the night? It’s now 1800 and as you can see, the sun has already set.]

Well, because I took that long-ass nap, I say let's travel through the night but at a much slower pace.

For now, can you bring up my status please? I'll take a look at it then we can continue moving.

[Understood.]

{Name - Rick}

{Age - 20}

{Race - Hobgoblin (High)}

{Level - 78 (2041/2070)}

{Health - 82/82}

{Mana - 46/46}

{Strength - 66}

{Agility - 62}

{Intelligence - 58}

{Endurance - 62}

{Stat Points - 10}

{Skills}

{Velora (Unique)}

{Dash (common) (5 Mana)}

{Solidify (common) (10 Mana)}

Only two levels from killing fifteen monsters huh? I don’t know how far away this next evolution is, but I have a feeling it’ll be a long time before I get there.

[That should be accurate. If evolving into a stronger monster was easy then everyone would be as strong as that fox.]

Yeah, I know, no pain no gain I guess. I just wish I knew exactly how much experience each kill gives me so I can make this as efficient as possible.

[Well, you can try killing monsters of various levels and checking your status after each one.]

Hmm, that sounds like a good plan, I think it’ll work. Let’s try it during the day though, I don’t want to attract too much attention during the night.

[Understood.]

~~~

So Rick gathered his dried meat, his trusty spear which was still in relatively decent shape, and began moving through the night.

It wasn’t easy to move both silently and stealthily when one was so large but being the same color as the foliage around him played a part.

Also having his own radar to continuously scan the area around him in Velora was huge too.

He safely moved farther and farther westward throughout the entire night while avoiding monsters here and there.

Though he did have to fight at one particular moment during the night. It was a monster that managed to escape the constant radar from Velora.

It was probably the most dangerous fight Rick had been in since his time fighting what he refers to as a Saber Ostrich before he evolved into a hobgoblin.

~~~

What time is it Velora?

[It is almost 2300.]

Okay gotcha, It’s still going to be a while before it hits daytime.

[Yes it will, the sun should not rise until 07..SOMETHING IS CLOSE!! DUCK!!!]

“AHH!! MY SHOULDER!!”

[I think it’s some type of flying monster! I didn’t detect it until it was already right next to you! Stay quiet and stay alert!!]

Dammit, were you at least able to discern it?!

[No! It was moving too fast for even that!]

~~~

After diving in and leaving a large gash along the right shoulder of Rick that was now pouring out blood, the mystery assailant quietly landed atop a nearby tree.

It eyed Rick as nothing more than a large piece of meat that stumbled into its hunting grounds. Just like it did with every other monster, It planned on killing Rick slowly with multiple diving attacks too fast for Rick to cope with.

It trusted in its speed and ability to blend into the darkness more than anything. It had yet to meet a monster who could best it in speed and stealth.

If Rick had a chance to see this monster, he would immediately associate it with an eagle.

Except it was no eagle that Rick had seen on earth, it was covered in sleek back feathers that made no sound when flying through the night sky.

From its feet to its talons, to its very beak. Everything was all black. The only thing on its body that showed a different color was it’s eyes. They gave off a beautiful blue tint that was perfectly in contrast with the night sky.

Though most creatures never got the chance to marvel at that beauty.

~~~

Dammit, it’s obviously faster than me, and I have no way to track it, nor are my eyes good enough to even see it coming.

Which means my options are limited.

Velora my survival will depend a lot on how fast you can detect it, and how fast I can react to that detection.

Focus everything on that.

[Understood!]

Cmon cmon cmon… Where you at… Show yourself...

[LEFT!]

“SHIT! My other fucking shoulder!!”

[Move positions! Try to get out of its territory!]

Dammit alright!!

[Behind! DIVE!]

[YOU BARELY MADE IT! GET UP AND KEEP RUNNING!]

[LEFT!]

[RIGHT!]

[JUMP!!]

~~~

At this point, the eagle was getting frustrated. It had already managed to properly strike Rick twice, but Rick had yet to show signs of stopping or dying.

And to make matters worse since the second strike, it couldn’t seem to hit Rick anymore.

The eagle was in peak condition and could tell that it was much faster than the green creature running away from it. Yet it couldn’t hit him anymore.

The timing and precision of the eagle’s attacks were sharp on swift. Yet no matter how hard the eagle tried, Rick managed to dodge at the very last second.

Rick had even given up on trying to fight back, he was only running as fast as he could while performing various evasive maneuvers at the last moment before being hit.

Although the eagle was still full of energy, it knew it couldn’t hunt the green monster for much longer. It was moving farther and farther away from its nest and hunting grounds.

So it only chased Rick for another thirty minutes after the second attack before frustratedly finally giving up on such a large piece of dinner.

Rick didn’t know this information yet though. He kept running for two whole hours after the eagle left before finally stopping to catch his breath and tend to his wounds.