CHAPTER 533: RUN!

Coco panted heavily, her chest heaving with each labored breath.

She clutched her abdomen, where the stab wound inflicted by the unseen enemy, the blade still embedded in her flesh.

Every step she took, every movement she made, sent a jolt and waves of pain across her body. Yet, she pushed through the agony, driven by fear of what’s chasing her and the instinct for survival.

Her feet moved on autopilot, pushing onward despite the pain threatening to overwhelm her.

The forest became a blur of shadow as she sprinted through the darkness of the night, trying to gain distance from her mysterious pursuer.

[ Side Quest {10}: Run!

The armed pursuer is hot on your trail and with no courage to launch an attack back, you’re forced to take a flight, but wait— just keep running until the time limit ends!

Perhaps, by then, the pursuer will be tired of chasing you!

Time left: 40 minutes and 30 seconds

Rewards: Ten active skills points

Time Duration: 40 minutes ]

Coco’s eyes narrowed as her gaze focused on the quest scroll floating above her, annoyance and grudging appreciation in her expression.

While the scroll’s presence was initially a nuisance, she couldn’t deny the usefulness and assistance it provided— once she received the rewards, she would be able to use her [Green fingers] skill without restrictions anymore.

"Okay, fine— fuck

, I’ll run for as long as I can!" Coco grumbled, acknowledging its necessity, albeit begrudgingly.

In the middle of the chaos and feeling pain, she felt somehow relieved.

Unfortunately, Coco’s words sliced through the air when she unceremoniously coughed, the metallic taste of blood assaulting her senses and causing a wave of disgust to wash over her.

"Blood? Shit, I guess that is to be expected." She grumbled under her breath, her frustration and worry mixing together.

Her foot kept falling continuously on the ground, her eyes staring ahead of her.

"Alright." She muttered to herself, her voice tinged with both pain and contemplation. "All I have to do is to get away from this bastard following me, right?"

Without wasting another second, Coco’s eyes scanned her surroundings, darting back and forth as she searched for a solution to the problem at hand. "But how the hell am I supposed to pull that off? I can already feel these damn daggers digging deeper into my stomach and arm!"

While panicking because of the pain, her mind’s gears turned rapidly still, trying her best to come up with the best solution to her current problem.

Think, Coco! Think! She growled to herself as she assessed the terrain, trying to identify any potential advantages that might aid her in overrunning the unknown pursuer.

Every tree, every shadowed corner presented a possible tool, but a sudden searing pain was felt through her back, causing Coco to involuntarily let out a guttural groan.

"Shit—" Coco cursed, the pain, sharp and intense, momentarily halted her thoughts. "Did this bastard throw another dagger at me?!"

Instead of stopping, she kept pushing forward, gritting her teeth and forcing her legs to keep moving, but her body protested every step, the pain that spread across her back pressing down on her.

Coco panted, her breaths came in labored gasps as she fled deeper through the forest, her eyesight becoming blurred which further clouded her judgement.

Panic threatened to take over her mind, but Coco’s thoughts were reduced to a singular impulse— the need to run, to escape.

Survival instincts immediately kicked in, overriding any rational thought or plan-making ability as she kept pushing forward, driven by her desperate adrenaline.

Damn it, Coco! Up to this point, you have fought all of your enemies head on! Why can’t you face this one?! Coco cursed herself in her mind, fear and self-doubt coursing through her as those thoughts echoed in her head.

Coco tightened her grip on her abdomen and forcibly shook her head, physically trying to dislodge the negative thoughts and fear that was trying to cloud her mind.

Surprisingly, the action seemed to have a slight effect— the sense of dread that had settled over her began to subside, just a little bit.

No, Coco! Don’t say that about yourself right now! The woman hyped herself up, her eyebrows creasing together in determination as she dodged the set of daggers coming her way.

She could feel the blades that were lodged on her back, but due to the adrenaline, she couldn’t feel the pain coming from them just yet.

Coco forced herself to take a deep, steadying breath again before she surveyed her surroundings and after a few seconds, her eyes caught sight of a dark, shadowy figure up ahead, partly concealed by the darkness of the forest.

A jolt of surprise and wariness shot through her, her heart rate instantly quickening.

What if it’s another enemy?

Coco immediately found herself torn between the thought of continuing running ahead and the urge to come to a halt, her mind weighing the options quickly.

However, as she drew closer to the shadowy figure, her racing thoughts suddenly came to a stop when the person began to take clearer form.

Realization dawned on her as she drew closer because the figure was a woman— the woman’s hair was dark and now visible, but it blended with the surrounding shadows.

The sight of another human in these deep parts of the wood made Coco confused, leaving her caught between two options— to change direction or to continue running towards the woman to alert her of the killer hot in her trail.

Coco sensed another set of daggers closing on her which made her desperate and without fully processing the situation, she shouted.

"Run!" Coco bellowed, her body in panic which propelled her forward at full speed.

As the warning cry escaped her lips, the woman turned around and looked at her direction with furrowed eyebrows.

Coco panted heavily and glanced at the scroll to check the time, but to her horror..

Time left: 30 minutes and 10 seconds