NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37 – Falling Down
Maimou lay sprawled on the ground, a wide furrow etched into the earth where his body had been flung like a ragdoll after Mav used him as a springboard. Both of his arms, freshly healed just moments ago, were broken once more. Dazed and disoriented, he stared blankly at a nearby tree, still trying to process what had just occurred.
"Maimou," a voice shattered the silence.
At the sound, Maimou scrambled to his feet and knelt immediately, bowing his head in a show of respect.
"Heal your arms first. Watching them dangle like that is unpleasant," the voice commanded.
"Right away, master," Maimou replied, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground.
"Blue Heal," he muttered, and his broken bones mended with a soft glow of blue light.
"Master... I deeply apologize. I let him escape," Maimou continued, finally daring to look up at the figure before him.
Standing there was a creature that resembled a human but had the head, arms, and legs covered in a lion-like mane of thick fur.
"It's fine," the lion-like creature replied, a grin curling its lips. "I have a feeling that human will come back."
"Thank you for your understanding," Maimou said, nodding in relief.
"But still, I've never encountered a human as strong as that one before, especially in a place like this. You'd expect someone like him to be on the frontlines, not here in the middle of nowhere. What was he doing here?" Maimou mused, his brow furrowed in confusion.
The lion-like creature remained silent, his gaze fixed in the direction where Mav had disappeared. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing.
"I don't like admitting it," Maimou continued, still trying to make sense of it all, "but if he had kept attacking, he might have been able to kill me. Why did he retreat?"
The lion-like creature finally spoke, "I was planning to return to the castle later today, but that human has piqued my interest. Let’s wait and see if he returns. Then, we'll know his motives."
"And if he doesn’t return," the creature added with a menacing gleam in his eyes, "we’ll go to him."
"Understood, master," Maimou agreed, a shiver running down his spine.
Mav shot through the air at breakneck speed, the world below him reduced to a blur of green as he soared above the treetops. The wind howled in his ears, tearing at his clothes, and the icy chill bit into his skin, sending shivers down his spine. His silver hair whipped around wildly as he ascended, thoughts of the gorilla-like creature flitting through his mind.
But as the ground became a distant memory, panic surged within him. The dense canopy of trees below seemed to close in, the gaps between branches like hungry mouths waiting to swallow him whole.
"How the hell do I survive this?"
he thought, heart pounding.His status box hovered in his vision, its numbers flickering with urgency. Mana was dangerously low—only 18/120 remaining. He darted a glance at Dark Yellow Transcendence—50 seconds left on the cooldown, far too long. His eyes flicked to Dark Green Invincibility—20 seconds left.
"This is bad," he muttered, watching as the treetops grew closer, the once distant forest floor now a looming threat.
"My only hope is that I don't land before those 20 seconds are up. But even then, there's no guarantee this skill will protect me from the impact. It’s kept me safe from damage before, but that was from attacks—what if the impact is different? What if my internal organs turn to mush on the sudden stop?"
The trees beneath him parted just enough to reveal the unforgiving earth below. A desperate idea flashed through his mind. "Maybe I could use the explosion of Dark Red Nuke to slow my descent? No, that’s insane, not to mention I don’t have enough mana left. Dark Blue Miracle is out too—if I mess this up, I won’t have enough mana to heal myself."
His focus shifted back to Dark Green Invincibility—10 seconds left. The branches whipped past him now, the ground rising to meet him with terrifying speed.
8...
7...
6...
The world rushed by in a chaotic blur, the air growing thick with the scent of earth and pine.
5...
4...
"Oh no, oh no, oh no," his mind raced, fear creeping in, the impact feeling all too real now.
3...
2...
"Not yet, please," he pleaded silently, the ground's details sharp and clear now—every root, every stone, every inch of earth ready to break him.
1...
"Dark Green Invincibility!" Mav shouted, the words leaving his mouth just as the cooldown ended.
The world went silent as his body, encased in dark green flames, collided with the ground. A deafening boom echoed through the forest, soil and debris exploding in every direction.
When the dust finally settled, Mav lay on his side at the bottom of the crater, his body deeply embedded in the ground. The force of the impact was undeniable, yet to his amazement, there was no pain. Slowly, he opened his eyes and tried to stand, but a wave of dizziness washed over him, making the world spin. He dropped to his knees, nausea overcoming him as he vomited onto the soil, some of it splattering onto his clothes. After what felt like an eternity, the retching stopped.
He clambered out of the crater, each movement slow and deliberate, his body trembling with exhaustion. Collapsing onto the grass, Mav stared up at the sky, breathing heavily. His heart raced, the adrenaline still surging through his veins.
Instinctively, he ran his hands over his body, checking for injuries. To his astonishment, everything felt normal. The only lingering effect was the dizziness that still clouded his mind.
As the reality of his survival began to sink in, a strange sound bubbled up from his throat—a laugh. It started low and shaky, more a gasp than a chuckle, but it grew, rising in volume until it echoed through the clearing. It wasn’t a joyful laugh, but something desperate, tinged with the wild edge of someone who had danced too close to death.
His laughter continued, almost uncontrollable, as the tension that had gripped him during his fall slowly unraveled. It was the kind of laugh that came when there was nothing else left, when the sheer absurdity of the situation was too much to bear. He pressed a hand to his face, trying to stifle the sound, but it only made the laughter more erratic, bordering on hysterical.
After a few moments, the laughter began to subside, leaving Mav gasping for breath, his chest heaving. A few lingering chuckles escaped him, soft and broken, as he wiped at his eyes, though there were no tears. He lay there for a long time, staring up at the sky, feeling the warmth of the sunlight on his skin and the cool breeze against his face.
Finally, a wry smile tugged at his lips, the absurdity of his situation still echoing in his mind. "It really made me invincible," he muttered, a faint, almost disbelieving laugh slipping out once more.
The encounter in the forest, the danger he had faced, the sheer power of his abilities—everything clashed in his mind, leaving him uncertain of what to do next.
For several minutes, Mav lay there, staring at the blue sky, his thoughts spiraling out of control. Eventually, he closed his eyes, focusing on the warmth of the sunlight on his face and the cool breeze against his skin. Slowly, his breathing steadied, and his mind began to calm.
"Now what?" he whispered to himself, the question hanging in the air.