"What the hell is with this damn forest!"

  When was the last time he cursed several times before a day's end? Honestly, he could not remember. This damn forest, however, seemed hellbent on making him use every curse word he knew!

  He couldn't catch a break for at least an hour! From those mole monsters, the massive wolves, Steel Viper, to those humanoid abominations, Aurel had constantly been on high alert. He still could not make sense of how those intruders made it here in the first place!

  Speedily closing in from behind were three flying abominations no less than the monster he rode. And coming from his left flank were another two! But the most frustrating one of all was the flying monster that came straight at him.

  How was he supposed to fight midair when he no longer had the ability to fly?! To top it off, he had to fight six of them! How was that fair?!

  Furiously clenching his teeth, Aurel tightened one hand on the features and retrieved one of his weapons. Allowing the monsters to get close would be troublesome for him. But there was a problem.

  Properly aiming in this turbulence would be challenging. Moreover, the damn monster he rode would not stay calm! Air resistance made seeing problematic, not to mention the effect it would have on the lethality of his shots.

  Still, he would make it work. He had too…

  Squinting, Aurel timed the monster's violent jerking and fired his first shot, the bang echoing through the howling winds. A painful screech followed, and the flying monster, coming directly towards him, lost its balance.

  Aurel's shot had blown through one of its wings, crippling the creature's ability to sustain flight. It unceremoniously plunged into the forest below, but Aurel had already turned to his next target.

  Suddenly, the bird monster made a 180° turn, nearly throwing Aurel off its back. He had come this close to losing the weapon he held. But Aurel had been prepared for something like this.

  "Damn it!"

  Dangling in the air with just one hand holding on for dear life, Aurel struggled to change the creature's course, adrenaline coursing through his veins. But without a foothold, the task was nearly impossible. Frustratingly, the monster had flown off course!

  Aurel had no time to worry about that now. The other flying abominations were nearly upon him. He swung his hand to the side and fired another shot, his aim completely off the mark. Dreadfully, that was the last chance he had at avoiding a collision.

  The attacking monsters screeched as they viciously lunged at Aurel with their long, gleaming talons, unconcerned about their competitors. With a last desperate glance towards his goal and the sun's positioning, Aurel let go.

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  Unwillingness burned in his heart. He had been this close to getting out of this damned forest. His ride was instantly ripped apart by the other monsters, their cries echoing loudly. The monsters that failed to claim a piece snapped their murderous eyes on Aurel and screeched.

  They flapped their massive wings and dived after him, their speed blinding. Gritting his teeth, his other hand retrieved his second weapon. Free-falling with his back to the forest, Aurel fired at the vicious monsters.

  He blew one head cleanly off and tore a hole in another, reducing his assailants to one. The other two were busily feasting on his monstrous ride while they plummeted towards the dense forest.

  His next shot missed the target by an inch, but that did not matter. The monster lost one eye and cried out in agony, veering off course. Aurel finished it off with one well-placed shot.

  He turned his attention to the two feasting monsters and made short work of them. Now unburdened, Aurel turned around to face the forest, the winds whipping through his hair and eyes. He swiftly put the guns away and steadied his nerves.

  The dense forest gradually closed in on him, but Aurel was not panicked. He mentally estimated the distance to the forest floor as he circulated his essence for a spell that could slow down his descent.

  But then Aurel narrowed his eyes when he noticed movements beneath the dense cover of leaves. His expression darkened when he realised what awaited him. A swarm of monsters were converging around his landing location.

  Aurel cursed his luck for the umpteenth time. He quickly reoriented himself and faced the direction of his escape. With skills that defied logic, he mentally cast the spell matrix, circulating his essence accordingly.

  Two distinctively white and ethereal spell circles materialised in his palms, the spell circles phasing through his clothes and body as though they existed in a separate plane. They measured half a meter in diameter.

  From these circles came a powerful gust of wind that propelled him forward in a controlled descent. His hands acted as propellers, generating thrust that pushed him forward.

  'At the very least, I should close as much distance to the edge as possible.'

  Aurel flew through the air like a fired missile, leaving a disappearing trail in his wake. He had no trouble burning through his vast essence, as he had barely used five per cent of his total reserves. Controlling his descent proved challenging, but he swiftly corrected it.

  He might have lost his flight ability, but his prior experience came in handy. A couple of meters separated him from the towering crown of the trees. Past the rushing leaves, he noticed his pursuers doubling their chase.

  Aurel snorted as he generated a final thrust that pushed his body in an upward arc before cancelling the spell. And as soon as the momentum broke, gravity pulled him down. In a flash, he broke the leaf barrier, found and landed on a thick branch before explosively taking off.

  No one said he had to make contact with the ground. With expert skill, he swiftly manoeuvred the thick branches and leaves, his movements leaving afterimages.

  But if the forest had taught him anything, then it was its vast variety of monsters it sheltered. Aurel barely covered a couple of hundred meters when a rustle of leaves caught his attention. Almost immediately, he turned to look, his expression cold and calculating.

  But before he could clearly see what caused the disturbance, something blitzed past him at incredible speeds, slamming into his left shoulder with so much force that he was forcefully sent flying.

  He violently crushed through several thick trees, leaving a massive trail of destruction for several tens of meters before crushing into solid ground, digging a deep trench for several more meters.

  'Damn it! That hurt!'