The desert stretched endlessly.
Sam walked slowly through the wasteland, boots crunching over dry sand and broken glass. The sun hung high, merciless, baking the land into a shimmering haze.
He passed destroyed military vehicles.
Burned-out armored trucks.
Half-buried tanks.
Skeletons in faded uniforms.
The silence was heavy.
Too heavy.
"…nothing alive for miles…"
His perception stretched outward automatically.
Wind.
Sand.
Distant heat waves.
Then..
A flash.
A rainbow beam slammed into the ground exactly where he had been standing.
BOOOOOOM..
Sand exploded upward.
Sam had already moved.
His body reacted before his mind.. Enhanced Agility (advanced ) and heightened perception from vampire traits kicking in.
He rolled sideways.
Another beam struck.
Then another.
Then another.
".. What?!"
Rainbow light carved trenches into the desert.
Sam sprinted.
Dodging left.
Right.
Sliding behind a broken jeep.
The beams kept coming.. precise, deliberate.
Not random.
Targeting him.
He dashed toward a half-collapsed tank and dove inside through the torn hatch.
Breathing controlled.
He slowly peeked out.
Then he saw them.
Three shapes in the sky.
Floating.
Long.
Serpentine.
Rainbow-colored bodies gliding effortlessly through the air.
Horned.
Eyes sharp.
The unmistakable form of Rainicorn hunters.
They circled above him.
Their voices echoed down.. speaking rapidly in Korean.
"그 인간 여기 숨었어."
"냄새 아직 있어."
"배고파… 잡자."
Sam didn't understand the words yet.
But thanks to his high intelligence stat, he could guess the tone…
Predatory.
Hungry.
One rainicorn fired another beam.
It blasted the sand near the tank.
The metal rattled.
Sam's heart rate increased.
"…they're hunting me…"
The system chimed.
Cold.
Simple.
SURVIVAL QUEST ACTIVATED
Survive the Hungry Rainicorns
Enemies Detected: 3
Threat Level: High
Each Target Level: 20
Objective: Survive
Sam's eyes widened.
"…Level 20… each?!"
They were stronger than him.
All three.
Outside, one rainicorn slowly descended lower, sniffing the air.
"여기 있어…"
Another hovered behind it.
The third climbed higher... clearly acting as overwatch.
They were coordinated.
Not feral.
Smart.
Sam tightened his grip on the Demon Eye Sword.
Lightning sparked faintly in his palm.
Not enough to blast.
But enough to fight.
The tank creaked as one rainicorn's rainbow beam sliced across the top.
Metal began melting.
They were closing in.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Hungry.
Sam steadied his breathing.
If he ran.. they'd chase.
If he fought.. three level 20s…
His mind raced.
Outside, a shadow passed over the tank hatch.
One rainicorn's head lowered… just inches from his hiding spot.
Its eye glowed faintly.
"…찾았다."
Sam's breathing slowed.
Decision made.
He opened the system mid-panic.
Stored Stat Points: 38
"…all into agility."
The system responded instantly.
STAT ALLOCATION CONFIRMED
+38 Points to Agility / Speed
Power surged through his legs.
Muscles tightened.
Nerves sharpened.
The world felt… slower.
Sam exploded out of the tank.
Sand burst behind him as he sprinted.
He didn't activate lightning.
Not yet.
Just raw physical speed.
His body blurred across the desert.
Wind screamed past his ears.
He pushed harder.
Faster.
Faster.
The system tracked it.
Speed Output: ~500 km/h (Maximum Sprint)
The rainicorns paused for a split second.. surprised.
"빠르다…"
"인간이?"
One tilted its head.
But hunger overrode curiosity.
They gave chase.
Their long bodies glided effortlessly through the sky, matching his speed without strain.
Rainbow beams fired intermittently.
Sam zig-zagged.
One beam scorched the sand inches from his feet.
Another carved a trench ahead.
He jumped.
Rolled.
Kept running.
He didn't look back.
His perception tracked them overhead.
Three shadows.
Still gaining slightly.
"…damn… flying is unfair…"
The desert slowly changed.
Sand gave way to cracked earth.
Then sparse dead trees.
Then the remains of a ruined forest.
Collapsed trunks.
Charred bark.
Twisted branches.
Perfect.
Sam dove into it without slowing.
Branches snapped as he weaved between them.
The rainicorns followed above, weaving through the broken canopy.
They were clearly shocked.
"계속 빨라…"
"잡기 힘들어…"
But one licked its lips.
"그래도 인간… 맛있어…"
They continued chasing.
In canon, rainicorns considered humans delicacies... and these three were clearly motivated.
Sam ducked under a fallen trunk.
Jumped over rocks.
Changed direction sharply.
A rainbow beam blasted a tree behind him.. it exploded into splinters.
He kept running.
Still not using lightning.
Still holding back.
He needed them confident.
Needed them close.
Needed them careless.
His mind formed a plan.
The ruined forest thickened.
Visibility dropped.
Branches blocked line of sight.
Perfect terrain for ambush.
Sam's eyes sharpened.
"…almost there…"
He pushed deeper.
The rainicorns closed in above.
Hungry.
Focused.
Unaware that the fleeing human… had already begun setting the stage for a counterattack.
Sam kept moving...
The ruined forest became dense.
Broken trunks leaned against each other.
Dead branches formed narrow tunnels.
Sam darted between them at full speed.
Behind him, the three Rainicorn hunters adjusted their formation.
They stopped flying in a tight group.
They split up.
One went left.
One right.
One stayed above.
Coordinated.
Smart.
They intended to corner him.
Sam noticed immediately.
"…good… come closer…"
He reduced his speed slightly.
Not enough to be obvious.
Just enough to let one catch up.
His perception tracked the nearest rainicorn diving lower, weaving through trees.
"거기!"
It lunged.
Its rainbow horn glowing.
Sam suddenly stopped.
Pivoted.
Turned mid-run.
The rainicorn's eyes widened.
Too late.
Lightning exploded from Sam's palm at point-blank range.
CRACK... !!!
The bolt slammed directly into the rainicorn's face.
Electricity surged through its long body.
Its colors flickered violently.
"아아.. !"
It convulsed mid-air, body twisting uncontrollably.
Sam didn't stop.
He followed through.
Lightning enhancement activated instantly.
He jumped upward.
Sword flashing.
SLASH
The Demon Eye Sword cut across its midsection while it was stunned.
The rainicorn crashed into the ground, writhing.
Smoke rose from its body.
Its movements slowed.
The other two rainicorns reacted immediately.
From above
"뭐야?!"
A rainbow beam fired toward Sam.
He rolled aside.
The beam blasted the earth where he stood.
Sam backed away, breathing steady.
One down... not dead, but heavily injured.
Two still airborne.
And now…
They were no longer confident.
They hovered higher.
More cautious.
The hunt had just turned… into a fight.
Sam didn't give them time to regroup.
Mana gathered in both palms.
He fired.
Rapid.
Controlled.
Not fully charged but fast enough to pressure them.
PEW
PEW
PEW
Dense mana beams shot upward through the broken canopy.
The two airborne Rainicorn hunters twisted mid-air.
Their serpentine bodies bent unnaturally, dodging most of the attacks.
But not all.
One beam grazed the side of the first rainicorn.
A small burn scorched its rainbow hide.
"치익—!"
The second took a shallow hit along its tail.
They hissed angrily.
In response, both fired back.
Twin rainbow beams cut downward.
Sam crossed his arms, bracing.
One beam clipped him.
The impact shoved him back several meters.
His strength and endurance absorbed part of the force, but the energy still burned.
"…tch!"
He rolled immediately as another beam carved the ground beside him.
He couldn't tank many of those.
He shifted into motion again.
Dodging.
Weaving.
Firing.
PEW
PEW
More mana bolts forced the rainicorns to stay mobile.
They circled.
They dove.
They fired.
The battlefield turned chaotic... beams of lightning-blue mana colliding with rainbow streaks, trees exploding, earth cracking.
Sam blocked another partial hit with his forearm, grunting as the energy pushed him sideways.
But he avoided the next two completely, ducking under a fallen trunk and sliding behind a shattered boulder.
Both sides now knew something important.
The rainicorns: This human was dangerous.
Sam: Two level-20 flyers were still overwhelming.
The injured rainicorn on the ground began stirring weakly behind them.
Time was running out.
Sam's breathing remained controlled.
Lightning flickered faintly again around his shoulders.
The storm was building.
Sam then had to dodge again...
As more attacks flew...
The ruined forest shook with every exchange.
Splintered wood rained down as another rainbow beam sliced clean through a dead trunk. The tree toppled, crashing behind Sam and kicking up a cloud of dust and ash.
He slid to a stop behind a jagged rock.
His chest rose and fell steadily controlled breathing, just like he practiced in the dungeon.
Mana pooled in his core.
He leaned out and fired again.
Three rapid mana beams.
They streaked upward in tight succession.
The first rainicorn twisted sideways, its long body bending in a serpentine arc. The second looped upward, barely avoiding the shots. But the third beam grazed the underside of the closer one, leaving a faint smoking line.
"아파…" it hissed.
Their movements became sharper now.. no more careless diving.
They spread wider.
One climbed higher into the sky, circling slowly, acting as overwatch.
The other dipped lower, trying to bait Sam into revealing himself.
A rainbow beam lanced downward.
Sam raised his left arm and partially blocked.
The impact slammed into him.
The force shoved him back, boots digging into dirt as he slid.
His endurance absorbed some of it, but his arm tingled painfully.
"…can't keep blocking…"
He rolled sideways immediately as another beam struck the rock he had been leaning against. It exploded into fragments.
Sam sprang to his feet and sprinted between two leaning trees.
Branches scraped his shoulders.
He pivoted sharply and fired again mid-run.
Two mana bolts.
One missed.
The second grazed the lower rainicorn's side.
The creature jerked, its flight wobbling briefly.
Sam noticed.
"Got you…"
But before he could follow up, the higher rainicorn dove.
Its rainbow beam came from above.. harder to track.
Sam's perception screamed.
He dove forward.
The beam scorched the ground behind him, sending a shockwave that lifted him slightly into the air.
He rolled twice and came up on one knee.
Lightning flickered across his fingers unconsciously.
He still hadn't fully unleashed it.
He was conserving.
Waiting.
The injured rainicorn on the ground behind them twitched again, lifting its head weakly. It wasn't out of the fight yet.
Three-on-one again… soon.
Sam's mind calculated rapidly.
Their coordination was improving.
One distracts.
One attacks.
One recovers.
He couldn't let that happen.
He needed to finish one now.
Another exchange.
He fired.
They fired.
Mana beams crossed rainbow light in mid-air, exploding into sparks.
A tree collapsed between them.
Dust filled the air.
Visibility dropped.
Sam used it.
He moved silently to the left, crouching low.
His perception tracked the lower rainicorn descending cautiously, trying to locate him.
It hovered just above the broken branches.
Too close.
Sam's muscles tensed.
Lightning quietly gathered along his arms.
The storm inside him growing louder.
One wrong move…
And the fight would tilt permanently.
The battle field was tense...
The dust hung thick in the air.
Ash and splinters drifted slowly, turning the ruined forest into a gray haze. Visibility dropped to only a few meters.
Sam stayed low.
One knee bent.
Breathing controlled.
The closest Rainicorn hovered cautiously, its long body weaving between broken branches. Its horn glowed faintly, scanning.
"어디 갔어…"
It drifted lower.
Closer.
Sam's perception sharpened every movement.
He could hear its body slicing through the air.
The faint hum of its energy.
The second rainicorn remained above the canopy, circling slowly.
The third.. the injured one... was still struggling to rise behind them.
This was his window.
Lightning crawled silently along Sam's forearms.
He didn't release it yet.
He waited.
The lower rainicorn dipped even closer, its head lowering between two shattered trunks.
Three meters.
Two.
One.
Sam moved.
He exploded forward from the dust cloud.
Lightning enhancement activated instantly.
CRACK... !
Electricity surged around his body as he closed the distance in a blur.
The rainicorn's eyes widened.
Too late.
Sam thrust his palm upward.
Point-blank lightning discharge.
CRACK..
BOOM...
The bolt slammed directly into its underside.
The creature convulsed mid-air, its body spasming violently.
Sam followed immediately.
He jumped.
Using lightning propulsion, he launched upward.
The Demon Eye Sword flashed.
SLASH
The blade carved deep across the rainicorn's neck area.
Rainbow blood-like energy sprayed.
The creature screamed in Korean.
"아아아.. !"
It lost control and crashed into the ground, smashing through dead branches.
Sam landed hard, rolling to absorb impact.
But the second rainicorn reacted instantly.
A rainbow beam fired from above.
Sam's perception screamed.
He crossed his arms and partially blocked.
The beam hit.
He was thrown sideways, crashing into a broken trunk.
Pain shot through his ribs.
He coughed but forced himself up.
The rainicorn he had just struck was badly wounded, writhing on the ground.
Not dead yet.
The third rainicorn... the one injured earlier... finally lifted into the air again, shaky but functional.
Now two airborne.
One grounded but alive.
The situation still dangerous.
They hovered higher now, more cautious, anger replacing hunger.
"위험해…"
"같이 공격해…"
They began circling together again.
Sam wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
Lightning flickered stronger now.
He was getting pushed harder.
Ribs injured...
But he had succeeded in one thing:
He had turned their hunt into a close-quarters battle, where his lightning was most lethal.
The storm around him began to build.