I woke up to the first light of dawn filtering through the cracks in the earth above my resting spot. The chill of the night still lingered in the air, but I had no time to indulge in comfort.

"Alright... another day, another deathtrap," I muttered under my breath, my voice still rough from sleep.

With practiced efficiency, I shook off my fatigue, gathered my belongings, and resumed my journey along the predetermined route.

Just like yesterday, my path was riddled with battles.

"Let me guess," I grumbled as I stepped onto a narrow ridge, "Gnoll Archers again?"

Time and time again, I found myself facing off against them. Quick, annoying, and armed with poisoned darts.

"Good thing I'm used to this attack," I muttered, ducking just as one of the darts whistled past my ear and embedded itself into the bark of a nearby tree with a dull thunk. "Too slow, buddy."

The once-grueling battles were becoming routine. I could now take down a single Gnoll Archer in less than half an hour.

"Twenty-five minutes. New record," I said, panting as I wiped sweat from my brow and glanced at my pocket watch. "Not bad. At this rate, I'll reach that place sooner than I planned."

And so, my daily cycle continued: traverse the winding trails near Gnashfang Warrens, engage in battle, deplete my Mana, restore it through meditation, and repeat.

I even talked to myself during the downtime. "Alright, Mana at eighty percent… give it ten more minutes, then I'll move."

But no matter how well-planned my routine was, misfortune had a way of slipping through the cracks.

There was an encounter that nearly cost me my life.

Instead of a Gnoll Archer, I stumbled upon something much worse.

My eyes narrowed as I caught a glimpse of something moving between the trees. Too broad. Too fast.

"Oh no... that's not an archer."

A melee-class gnoll, the Gnoll Warrior. Bulkier than its archer counterpart, it wielded a rusted, serrated dagger in its clawed grip. Its amber eyes locked onto me, and it snarled.

"You've gotta be kidding me," I hissed, slowly backing away. "It's not even supposed to be here during the day!"

And just like in most games, melee warriors were the natural predators of fragile ranged supports like me.

"No way I'm fighting that fucking gnoll."

The moment it lunged, I knew I had no choice but to run.

Thirty agonizing minutes.

That was how long I spent weaving between jagged rocks, darting through tangled undergrowth, scrambling over uneven terrain, all while that snarling beast relentlessly pursued me, its growls and heavy footsteps pounding in my ears. My lungs burned, my legs ached, and for a moment, I thought I wouldn't make it.

But somehow, I did.

After what felt like an eternity, I managed to lose it. Whether it was due to sheer luck or a natural boundary in its territory, I didn't care. All that mattered was that I was still alive.

I took a shaky breath, steadying myself.

"Phew, that was close..."

***

Night had fallen.

The inky darkness of the Redridge Range stretched endlessly before me, broken only by the occasional flicker of torchlight in the distance. It was around 6 PM when my ears caught a faint, ragged sound, a weak, pained whimper carried by the wind, seemingly amplified by magic.

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I froze.

My breath caught in my throat as I instinctively lowered my stance. My grip on my staff tightened.

"What the hell was that?" I whispered, barely audible even to myself.

I strained my senses, eyes darting through the gloom. The wind carried another muffled groan.

Someone was dying.

Carefully, cautiously, I moved toward the sound. Each step was deliberate. My heart pounded louder with every inch I closed in.

As I emerged from the shadow of a jagged rock formation, the scene before me unraveled.

A lone elf lay sprawled on the cold, blood-stained ground, his robes shredded and stained crimson, his chest barely rising with each breath. Around him, several corpses of adventurers littered the area, some burned, others cleaved clean in two. His party, no doubt.

I barely had time to process that before I heard a loud snarl followed by a guttural roar.

My eyes snapped toward the noise, and there it was.

A dwarf. Sturdy and battle-worn, face smeared with blood and soot, gritted his teeth as he stood his ground. His shield arm was trembling, not from fear, but sheer exhaustion.

And before him loomed a monstrous, 2.5-meter-tall Gnoll. The beast was enormous, a towering juggernaut of muscle, matted fur, and barely contained fury. Its eyes glowed a fierce, unnatural crimson, and it dripped with the blood of the fallen.

A Field Boss.

It took me one full minute to assess the situation.

Judging from the erratic, desperate movements of the boss and the telltale glow of its eyes, it was already in its final phase.

One elf archer, out of commission.

One dwarf, acting as the last line of defense.

It didn't take long to decide my next move.

[Rejuvenation cast]

A soft green glow enveloped the fallen elf as my magic took effect. Without wasting a second, I tossed a low-rank healing potion toward him.

"Heal yourself, now." My voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

The elf blinked weakly, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. His fingers fumbled with the cork before finally managing to drink. "T-Thanks… I owe you…"

"Save the gratitude," I muttered. "We're not done yet."

After quickly confirming the skills and combat power of the elf and dwarf, I shifted my focus to the battle ahead. The dwarf was barely holding on, his massive shield dented, his breathing heavy. He couldn't last much longer.

"Oi, dwarf!" I shouted, channeling another Rejuvenation to the elf. "Hold the line! Just keep him occupied until the elf's back on his feet!"

For a moment, the dwarf scowled at me, sweat dripping from his soot-streaked brow. "Who are you, showing up out of nowhere and barking orders?"

"Do you want to die arguing, or do you want to win?"

He grunted, spat to the side, then slammed his shield forward as the Gnoll's axe came crashing down again. "Fine! But if I die, I'm haunting your scrawny ass!"

I clenched my teeth, my fingers hovering over my inventory.

"This better be worth it," I muttered under my breath.

With a sigh, I pulled out one of my most valuable items.

[Flameburst Flask used]

The glass vial shattered mid-air, releasing a sudden burst of searing flames. The fire clung to the Gnoll's fur, crawling over its body like a living inferno.

The beast let out a guttural, agonized howl.

"Oh, that got your attention," I said, eyes narrowing.

Its movements turned frenzied, wild and unpredictable. But that was exactly what I wanted.

"Now it's pissed," the dwarf grunted, deflecting another blow. "Next time you throw something, make sure it doesn't make him angrier!"

"You're welcome," I replied, already channeling again.

[Rejuvenation cast]

This time, the green aura wrapped around the dwarf. His posture straightened slightly as the magic took hold, slowly mending bruised muscles and cracked bones. Unlike potions, Rejuvenation had an advantage: its healing properties continued even if the recipient was taking damage. As long as he could withstand the assault, the regenerative effect would keep him standing.

"Hah!" he barked, grinning through a bloodied lip. "Now that's the good stuff. I could kiss you right now."

"Please don't."

Ten minutes.

That was how long we had been fighting so far.

And in those short minutes, I had already burned through three of my precious Flameburst Flasks.

Worse yet, my Mana had dropped by 30%.

I wasn't sure how much longer we could hold out.

The Gnoll Chieftain raised its axe again, snarling through the flames, and the dwarf just barely blocked it with a thunderous clang.

Then, swoosh!

The unmistakable whistle of an arrow slicing through the air.

Finally.

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