CHAPTER 38: 38: THE PATH OF THE MAGE XI

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The beast lunged suddenly, closing half the distance in a blur of black and gray. John barely dodged, rolling across the damp leaves as the creature’s claws ripped a furrow into the soil where he had stood.

Fizz shot upward, leaving a streak of red light as he spat a tiny flame to distract it. The fireball hit the beast’s shoulder and fizzled, leaving only a smudge of soot on its scales.

The Howler snarled, teeth gleaming with saliva. It snapped at Fizz, who zigzagged desperately to avoid its jaws.

John came up from his roll and slashed with his dagger, catching the beast along its haunch. Sparks flew as the blade scraped the scale, leaving only a shallow line of blood.

The Howler turned on him instantly, its roar shaking the mist.

John stumbled back, heart hammering. "That barely cut it."

Fizz hovered near his shoulder, panting. "I can end this. Just say the word. I burn my life force, I blow this thing back to whatever stinky cave it crawled out of."

"No," John said sharply, eyes locked on the circling hunter. His knuckles were white on his dagger. "I will not trade your life for this. We will find another way. You are also my only friend. I can’t let you do that."

"Other way?" Fizz squeaked, narrowly dodging a swipe of the beast’s claws. "The other way looks like ’John becomes a chew toy’!"

The beast lunged again. This time, its tail whipped around like a spiked whip. John barely managed to duck, but the impact of the tail against the boulder sent a tremor through the ground and shattered moss and stone.

John slipped on wet leaves, crashing to the mud. The beast loomed over him, growling, hot breath rolling over his face.

Fizz darted frantically around its head, spitting small bursts of fire that did little more than annoy it. "Come on, come on, come on! Any ideas that do not involve your heroic death?"

John scrambled to his feet and retreated toward the slope, his heart pounding. The Howler followed with slow, deliberate steps, savoring the hunt.

They were cornered now.

The fire at their camp had almost died completely, leaving only pale coals. The mist was thicker, curling around the hunter beast like it was part of the night itself.

John panted, gripping his dagger tighter. "I will not let you burn yourself, Fizz. I will find a way. Trust me!"

The Howler crouched, its muscles coiling, amber eyes fixed on him with deadly intent. And in that cold, wet silence, John realized the truth.

For the first time since awakening the system, he was truly at a disadvantage. And the next move belonged to the beast.

The Nightscale Howler prowled closer, its claws scraping wet stone, amber eyes glowing like molten metal in the mist. Its breath puffed in clouds of heat, each exhale carrying the stench of blood and decay. John’s heart thundered, his boots slipping slightly in the mud as he backed against the slope.

"Any brilliant plans yet?" Fizz hissed, hovering in frantic loops. "Because the ’get eaten quietly’ strategy does not look working!"

John’s grip on his dagger tightened, one more time. He had no plan. His mind raced in a blur of instinct and desperation. He could not use the black hole magic yet. He can’t use the void move he used before, inside the mine. That time he can use it because of the huge amount of mana in the mine. But now he doesn’t have any mana. If only he was a circle one mage. He could defeat this beast.

The beast crouched, ready to spring.

Then, in the chaos of his thoughts, a memory flickered. It was his first creation. A weapon he had made almost as a practice. A relic from Earth, built in with magic and mana capacity and modern blueprints saved in the system.

A revolver. Six bullets. He had almost forgotten it existed. John inhaled sharply. "System... storage."

The familiar pulse answered in his mind.

[Ding. Suggestion: Host can access Stored Tool – Modern Revolver (Six Shot). Recommended for current combat scenario.]

"System, you are too late in the recommendation," John muttered. "I already remembered my last resort."

With a thought, the weapon materialized in his hand, cold and heavy, black metal gleaming faintly in the firelight. The handle fit his grip perfectly. Six mana bullets loaded, each infused with a thread of mana from the mana ore.

Fizz’s eyes went wide. "What the fluff is that?"

"A gun," John said, voice tight.

"A gun? A gun?! You had this the whole time?" Fizz’s voice cracked in disbelief. "We almost died! I almost burned my adorable life force! And you were hiding a magic death stick in your pocket?"

"I... forgot," John said through clenched teeth.

"Forgot?!" Fizz gasped so hard he almost inhaled a bug. "My master, ladies and gentlemen, wielder of legendary black holes, forgetter of useful weapons! What next, you forget you have pants?"

The beast roared and lunged. John raised the revolver, aimed for the shoulder where scale met fur, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The shot cracked through the night like thunder. Smoke burst from the barrel. The bullet tore into the Nightscale Howler’s shoulder, sending a spray of black red blood and sparks as mana discharged on impact. The beast stumbled with a pained snarl, clawing at the ground.

Fizz froze midair, jaw hanging. "Okay. That... was awesome. Why did you not start with that? You even made me all emotional."

"I told you. I forgot. I only used it once before. I am human. I can forget things when I am panicking."

Fizz crossed his tiny furry arms, still glaring even as the beast limped in a slow circle. "Unbelievable. My heroic legend is going to be titled ’The Day My Master Forgot He Had a Gun.’"

John reloaded with shaking hands. "I will take the mockery if we live through this."

Fizz zipped in front of his face. "No, no, no. New rule. Give it to me. Right now."