Gamble

It didn't react. 

Sylas prepared another rock. This time, he threw it similarly, allowing it to soar just over the head of the red fox. However, he took a lot of power off of it. 

The rock fell just a meter or two away from the red fox, landing in the soft grass. 

It still didn't react as though it was too lost in its dreams. 

'Is it really because of me?'

The noise of that rock wasn't significantly softer than his footsteps had been. 

After some more thought, Sylas picked up a larger rock, about two inches in width. He threw it again, but this time at a tree on the opposite side of the clearing the red fox was sleeping in. 

TA!

Once again, it didn't react. 

'I see…'

There was no way to tell for certain unless he moved forward himself, but it was as he feared. The animal was shaken awake by his appearance specifically. 

'It must be the case that the Irish Elk didn't react to me because it had only just started its evolution?'

He wasn't sure. He had managed to land a hit on the elk before it woke up, but these foxes…

'A gamble.'

Once again, the moment he made the choice, he acted. 

He burst through the clearing. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he raised the femur short spear. 

The moment he got within three meters, he sensed it all again. The twitch of the ears, the sway of the tail… but this time, it was all just a little bit faster. 

Even so, while the stats of this red fox were better, Sylas was far more prepared. He threw a rock as hard as he could with his off-hand. For as long as he could remember, he had been able to use his left and right hands interchangeably, and at this moment, it came in handy. 

This rock was easily four inches in diameter and it had a great heft to it. It slammed down on the head of the red fox just as it tried to get up. 

The fox's spin was delayed by just a half measure, allowing Sylas the time he needed to thrust down with the femur short spear. 

It was all so perfectly laid out. Unfortunately, Sylas was quickly learning that not everything in this world was under his control. 

The fox's hair suddenly stood on end and its body shivered. In that split moment, it looked almost as though it had caught a bout of cold fever. 

Sylas' short spear stabbed down and hit nothing but air. The red fox seemed to phase through it, appearing just a meter to the side. 

For Sylas, who had based his whole life on logical deduction, he felt as though his senses had short-circuited. What just happened? 

An almost cat-like growl echoed as the fox bared its teeth toward Sylas. 

With quick movement, Sylas pulled the short spear out of the soft grass. His off-hand pulled out the elk antler piece, clutching it tightly as he faced off against the fox. 

The good news? He had confirmed that this system wouldn't allow him anymore easy kills. Last time, he had been within two meters before the fox reacted. This time, it was at three. 

As these evolutions continued, he bet that the range would only extend and he would only get more and more helpless. 

The bad news? As though the "good" news wasn't tinged with enough angst, he now had to actually face off against this animal head-to-head without any tricks to rely on. 

Oh… and his Blade Aura's timer was already ticking. 

Sylas could distinctly hear the rhythm of his breath. The crunching of the grass beneath his bare feet and the slight rustle of the chilly wind felt amplified a hundredfold. 

His usually steady and calm heart sped up, blood rushing through him and flushing his skin red. 

He was completely on high alert, the tingling sensation of his small hairs rising to attention and goosebumps crawling up his skin feeling as visceral as a sudden dump in a cold lake. 

Even as he circled the red fox, he realized that it was hesitant to attack as well. Its body continuously shivered, as though it was hesitating between running away and charging forward to rip Sylas' throat out. 

At that moment, Sylas keenly remembered the cowardice of the first fox he had come across. It hadn't even tried to fight back. 

This one had a will that was slightly stronger, but it seemed that that cowardice was ingrained into its very bones. 

The moment Sylas made this deduction, he realized he needed to take the initiative. 

He spread his arms out wide, revealing the most vital parts of him to attack as he swept toward the red fox. 

The small creature froze for a moment, distinctly feeling just how much larger Sylas was than it. 

The fox wasn't even half a meter from its paws to its shoulders, its overall body length not even reaching an entire meter. Compared to Sylas, who was well over six feet, it was truly small. 

Sylas' approach could only be said to be crude beyond compare. He distracted the red fox with his arms, flailing them out and flashing his pair of bone weapons. Then, in that final moment of approach, his leg flashed. 

The red fox's eyes were darting between the bone weapons and didn't even seem to notice as a foot hit it flush in the jaw. 

Sylas' jaw set into a flexed position. He had a working understanding of the common martial arts, but kicking against something with his bare feet like that wasn't something that he was used to by any stretch of the imagination. 

The red fox released a yelp. First a stone had hit the back of its skull, and now a strong kick from an existence over 20 times heavier than it had sent it flying. How could it not feel the aftereffects?