"Ahh, shit!"
I exclaimed, as I continued running. I didn't even know who that figure was, nor did I want to. Right now, my mind was focused entirely on escaping the swarm of animals heading my way. Isabella was a far distance away. She turned her head and yelled.
"WE MIGHT HAVE MET OUR FIRST HUMAN OPPONENT!"
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, still running, furrowing my eyebrows. I couldn't hear her well from that far.
"WHAT?"
She took a deep inhale.
"I SAID, WE MIGH—"
Isabella was cut off by a loud shriek from behind, she covered her ears in pain, grimacing. Of course, I was no different. It felt like I was standing next to a jet engine. Thankfully, my eardrums didn't rupture from the shriek. All I felt was slight bleeding. But that was okay.
'I can handle it!'
Just as that thought appeared in my mind, something slammed into me from the side, sending me hurling through the air, falling face first to the ground. I got up on shakly legs and looked around, my eyes widening.
I was....surrounded.
Two gorillas, three Chimpanzees, two tigers, a snakes and one sloth.
"Mhm....I was....more interested....in the girl..."
The sloth spoke, it's tone slow and unhurried. One of the Gorilla's snorted. Clearly a hot-headed one. The other Gorilla being similar, nodding.
"Who cares? I just want to rip this guy to shreds!"
A green slippery snake curled around the gorilla's neck like a scarf scoffed, or atleast it seemed like it did.
"Don't underestimate him, now. Master wouldn't have sent all of us to fight him if he was weak...."
The three Chimpanzees nodded, speaking in unison.
"Yes master wouldn't! Master is the most cautious and amazing man in the world! Master knows everything we don't! Do not doubt the Master!"
The tigers were silent, staring at the direction Isabella went in resentment, seemingly wishing to exact revenge for their brother.
'What....what is going on?! Am I in some sort of fantasy novel?!'
I thought in exasperation. Too many insane things have happend to me these last few hours. Too many to count. First a loop, then losing an arm, suffering mental attacks, fighting Isabella and now being surrounded by wild animals with superpowers.
I would be laughing if the situation wasn't so dire right now. At the moment, im hardly strong enough to fight against these abominations. Sure, I could take on one tiger, maybe two. But there is no way I can do the same while having to deal with three monkeys and two gorillas. Im pretty much dead.
'If only I had my loyal Retainer.....then I could of went out in style. Now that I think about it, where is my damn spear? Isabella used it to fight the tiger, but I haven't seen it since....'
I shook my head. There is no time to be thinking about something so useless. Right now, I need to figure out a way to escape. Yes, a way to escape. I cant fight them. My only choice is to cowardly run.
I stood up and leisurely dusted off my clothes, giving them a defiant look.
"Ganging up on one person, huh? How pathetic."
The hot-headed Gorilla's seemed to be the most affected by my provocation. They started chest pounding and opening their maws in anger. One of them spoke in a raspy voice, dripping with hatred.
"What did you say?! Sure! If it's pathetic, then let's have a one-on-one! I'll beat your ass!"
I raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised by this. But before I could speak, the sloth interjected.
"No....no....don't fall for the humans bait, Jumbo. You should.....know by now that.....humans are very....cunning. Only human we....serve is....master."
I sighed. I should of expected as much. From the looks of it, the sloth isn't much of a fighter. It's just there to keep order and not have the animals under it be controlled by their emotions.
'I wonder what it's blessing ability is...'
Nevertheless, I may have not gotten an easy way out of this, but what the sloth said also confirmed a few things. The parrot, the animal Isabella fought and the tiger.....were all under the human sitting on the throne. All of them were under that human. So, is this loop caused by that figure? Or is it the blessing ability of one the animals they have under control?
If so, this ability is truly busted. To control animals in an animal rich tournament. Just how unfair can it get? I haven't even learnt how to use my blessings properly, for God's sake! But hold on, isn't this the perfect opportunity for me to try out the [Probability Pryer] Ability? It's supposed to help me see the probability of outcomes before they happen, sort of like future vision. It would be a great help when trying to escape....
Now that I have gained the slightest bit of control over the innate spirit....
"Attack!"
The two gorillas rushed forward towards me. One of their arms turned into a sharp metal sword, reflecting the moonlight. The other one changed their size, becoming shorter and thinner, thus becoming more agile. The snake that was curled around the shorter Gorilla's neck began emitting a bright green light, buffing the animals 50 meters of it with enhanced physical attributes.
The three Chimpanzees behind the rushing Gorilla's didn't do much. Instead, the three of them merged into one and a bow manifested from thin air. The bow was made from animal hide and oak wood, the arrow looking similar to the tail of a Chimpanzee. I came to the conclusion that there was only one Chimpanzee, but it could duplicate itself and its duplicates can transform into whatever it desires. Hence the bow and arrow.
One of the tigers vanished into thin air, becoming invisible. It wasn't like intangible tiger though, it was much similar to actual invisibility that of a chameleon. The second tiger pressed it's paw down to the ground, causing the ground to shake and walls to erect from the ground, encasing me in a confined battle arena.
At the same time, the sloth was resting on the ground lazily. Not doing much, but it had it's eyes fixed on the animals, making sure none of them obeys the orders from the master.
All the while, I kept concentrating on trying to use [Probability Pryer] there was still time left. But eventually, I would be assaulted by an insane amount of numbers, being forced to fight in a battle that I will have no business winning. So, right now, my best bet was escaping and my only shot at escaping was the [Probability Pryer] Ability.
'There has to be something im missing....'
I dodged a downward slash from a gorilla that turned their hand into a sharp sword. The other one who could change it's size anticipated where I would dodge and slammed into my side, sending me tumbling downwards.
'Shit!'
I moved out of the way as an arrow nearly struck me in the abdomen. Glancing at it, I saw the arrow flying up magically and turning back into a Chimpanzee, rushing towards me like a feral animal. I dodged a punch, then landed another to it's stomach. My physical attributes were much stronger than the little monkey, so I was confident....
Until the Gorilla's and the invisible tiger.
Trying to dodge a crazed Chimpanzee, two Gorilla's and an invisible tiger that could attack me from anywhere was damn near impossible. I couldn't. Each time I dodged, another would find it's way to my blindspot and attack me, wounding me even more.
I couldn't predict their moves, but they could predict mine. It was hell. Painful groans escaped my lips as the animals began eating away at my body, my legs growing weak, making it harder for me to dodge.
'Ah, how I wished I was a tramp again...'
I smiled wistfully. Atleast back then, I wasn't subjected to this much torture. All I had to do was scavange for food, but now here I am, forced to a battle royal by a mysterious overseer, fighting to the death against other humans and animals.
My life is a joke.
I thought everything would turn for the better once I got my superpowers, but no it didn't. It just got worse. Way worse.
But does that mean i will give up tight now?
'No.'
That's right. No matter what happens, I promised myself i will be the one to win The Mulligan. I have to survive. I need the second chance. I want to be resurrected. I cant go around breaking promises, can i? Especially ones made for myself.
At that moment, I felt something inside me shift and I saw something. My brain moving on autopilot.
"Tiger Attack from behind, 100%..."
"Short Gorilla Attack from above, 99%..."
"Chimpanzee running back to become an arrow, 50%...."
"Big Gorilla attacking me along with the Short Gorilla, 25%...."
I could see it all. Chances of everything happening is laid out right before me. It was almost overwhelming. Time just seemed to slow down, allowing me to process something so....magnificent. Something so grand. It felt like the strings of Fate was laid out infront of me, in all it's naked glory, allowing me to bend and manipulate it to my will.
'How amazing...'
"From the left."
I dodged to the right.
"From above."
I rolled to a side.
"From behind."
I moved out of the way.
"From the right."
I dodged to the left.
It almost felt like I was a God toying with mortals. I could see all outcomes before they could happen, but at the same time, it was overwhelming on my innate spirit. I can feel it running dry at an absurd speed. This isn't something I can spam daily, it seemed. It demands alot of mastery on the blessing itself to control properly.
The animals were soon catching onto this abrupt shift too. They seemed shocked, panicked and confused. But at the same time, they began to adapt to my sudden ability to predict their moves, trying their hardest to be the most unpredictable.
'But it didn't matter.'
I can see it all. There exists nothing that can catch me off guard in this state.
While also, I was focusing on an escape. I needed to escape before i run out of innate spirit, or the tiger who confined me here realizes what's happening in the battle and blocks out all escapes there could ever be. Luckily, though. It didn't take much time for me to do it.
'Right there.'
I turned my body and saw it. A single gap in the stone wall. It was imperfect, just as i thought. The tiger was being ruled by it's emotions and couldn't focus on the building, even now it's eyes were focused on where Isabella was fighting, filled with hatred. How pitiful.
"Being able to escape successfully, 50%..."
I'll just have to make a 100%, then!
Shaking off another attack from the big Gorilla, I began rushing forward. Yes, this was reckless. Yes, there was a chance for failure. But you don't suceed without taking risks. What's the point? Who cares if it's only 50%? I don't have the luxury of finding a better chance. I just need to make a 100%, by relying on my pure lack.
The animals tried to stop me. The Chimpanzee trying the hardest, in particular. Aiming seriously, it drew it's bow and let go. The arrow flying towards me at an absurd speed.
"The arrow hitting my head, 0%..."
"The arrow hitting my neck, 0%..."
"The arrow hitting my chest, 0%..."
"The arrow hitting my abdomen, 0%..."
"The arrow hitting my right leg, 100%..."
'Oh, that poor fool. If only it knew how powerful my foresight was....'
I easily moved my right leg at the perfect moment before the arrow could strike it. The Chimpanzee attempted to make me stumble and lose my footing by doing that, but it was all pointless. I felt invincible at the moment!
Then, before long, I had jumped out and earned my freedom, running away from the wild animals into the depths of the jungle.