Mythical Monster Evolution
Chapter 47: Time Is Running Out

Chapter 47: Time Is Running Out

Kai couldn’t even react to the man’s movement. His eyes were barely able to see the strike aiming for the top of his head.

He could only watch as the sword made contact with his armor, bouncing off.

’Ugh...’ Kai staggered as the attack landed.

With each strike hitting his armor, he would have to spend a lot of Monster Energy to repair it. And with it being a limited amount of energy, Kai could no longer afford to receive strong strikes against his armor. He needed to dodge and counterattack.

However, there was a problem. This man was too fast—way too fast. Kai couldn’t follow his movements.

"Hm. Not bad. Let’s see if it can handle another one."

Kai’s eyes widened as he activated [Shadow Cloak]. He needed to disappear from this man’s field of vision. Otherwise, he would be overwhelmed right away, suffering continuous hits.

Disappearing from the man’s sight, Kai moved out of the way of the strike, reappearing about a meter away from where the strike had just landed on the ground, causing the land to shake and break.

There was no doubt: this man was much more powerful than Kai. If he wanted even a chance at winning this fight, he would have to use gimmicks. His only chance at winning was with [Shadow Claws]. He only needed one opportunity to use it to its fullest potential.

However, with the high usage of Monster Energy, his Monster Core was already on the verge of being completely drained. In less than a minute, Kai would have no choice but to use the ability he gained from the second cultivation technique tier.

As soon as that happened, time would be on that man’s side. Kai needed to act fast. Otherwise, he would surely lose this fight. Still, he needed to ensure that this man wouldn’t notice his actions.

Dying also wasn’t an option.

While he couldn’t die in this trial, if he did, the difficulty of the stage would increase... and Kai wasn’t sure if he would be able to deal with an even higher difficulty. If this man became even more powerful, the chances of defeating him would be extremely low— even lower than now.

"Oh. You can even disappear from my senses." The man laughed. "You really are a special dragon, aren’t you?"

The man’s carefree behavior annoyed Kai. However, he couldn’t act rashly.

Before making a move, Kai needed to observe how he fought a little more.

He wanted to see the way he moved. That was the most important. How would he react if Kai suddenly moved forward?

That’s what Kai wanted to see.

Kai dashed forward with his small body, and the man immediately moved back, not giving the slightest chance for Kai to attack.

’His reaction time is too high. I won’t even be able to land a single strike on him.’

Kai understood that attacking without [Shadow Cloak] was now useless. He wasn’t physically stronger than his opponent; he couldn’t attack him so simply.

However, just as he began to create a plan in his mind, another attack headed his way. A throwing knife was aimed straight for his head, targeting the gaps in the [Shadow Armor].

Kai barely managed to dodge by moving his head down, the knife bouncing off the top of his head once more.

"Pay attention. This is the fight of your life. The moment you look away or stop paying attention, you’ll die."

Everyone watching cheered for the guard fighting, confident in his win.

"You can do it, captain! Show him how it’s done!"

"You’ve never lost a fight before! You can do it!"

All of them were already sure of his victory. For the past minute, the fight had been completely one-sided, with the dragon barely able to react to his opponent’s strikes.

The guard captain then kicked dirt on the ground, creating a small cloud of dust that blocked Kai’s vision.

With yet another sword strike headed his way, it landed once more on his [Shadow Armor], consuming even more Monster Energy.

[Monster Core: 30/600]

He only had 30 Monster Energy left in his core. He would have no choice but to recharge his energy. However, he still hadn’t made any progress in defeating the man. Time was running out, and there was nothing Kai could do yet.

’Think, Kai... think for godsakes!’

Kai’s breathing was getting faster by the second, his heart beating faster and faster as the fight continued.

"Why are you so nervous?" the man asked with a devilish smirk. "As long as you have that armor, I can’t hurt you. Or... is it that you can’t sustain that armor forever?"

Seeing how Kai stopped moving momentarily, the man knew he was right and began laughing loudly.

"Hahaha! Time is running out, young dragon. You should act fast before you run out of energy to protect yourself."

Now that the man had grasped the pressure Kai was under, the fight seemed lost.

The man immediately changed his strategy as he took two steps back from Kai. He simply needed to wait, and the victory would be his.

[Monster Core: 0/600]

’Recharge it, system.’

[Monster Core: 600/600]

Immediately, his Monster Core was filled to the brim once more, meaning that he wouldn’t be able to use this ability again for more than three days.

’[Shadow Cloak].’

Kai disappeared from the man’s sight.

Now that the man had stopped putting so much pressure on Kai, it gave him some breathing room to prepare his next attack.

’You should have continued to attack me... leaving me enough time to prepare an attack that you won’t be able to counter. How stupid.’

Kai smirked in the shadows, moving closer to the man, who was now unable to see him at all.

Or, at least, that’s what Kai thought, as the man’s eyes tracked him as he moved. A sword strike landed right before him.

"Oh. I lied. Your camouflage doesn’t work on me. I can still see you as clear as day," the man said with a smirk. "Good try."

’Fuck.’ Kai staggered back. ’What am I supposed to do now? Can I even win this fight? Is this stage even achievable?’