As Andy moved, his shadow flickered under the illumination of the street lamps.
With his Will, he could sense Melinda chasing after him. This time, she seemed to be more open and aggressive about her approach.
Previously, she kept a certain distance away from him and only tailed him when he had moved a certain distance.
But now, Melinda was almost 10 feet behind him.
Andy frowned.
He had expected danger, yes. But not this early, there were still students roaming around.
Andy had purposely chosen nighttime to fight, however, he also needed to get to the river before the fight began.
"She must have noticed that I knew of her presence."
If he had the ability to sense things within 20 feet, who is to say there aren't others who can do the same?
Nervous and anticipating recklessness, Andy increased his speed towards the river.
The moment Andy's pace picked up, Melinda's hypothesis crystallized. I knew it, he has been aware of my presence.
Melinda then thought about the investigation Principal Ganaf was carrying out.
He can't truly be the one we are looking for, right? A normal human's mind who hasn't awakened would be likely to crumble… apart from his strange routines, #07 hasn't shown signs or abnormalities that he has seen a Wesen.
Slowly, Melinda started to connect the dots.
It was one thing for Andy to have sensed her following him for a while and it was another to have sensed her and his first reaction when he did was to run.
Considering reporting this new development to the Principal, Melinda's pace faltered a bit. But then she regained it.
If he's the one, then there's no difference if I report him now or after I'm done with him.
Noticing Melinda closing in, Andy changed his route, passing through crowded places, this of course, worked as it made Melinda slow down.
Andy knew that he couldn't possibly outrun someone equal to a Third Rank Mage now. All he needed was some space.
After some minutes, Melinda was finally back on his track, however, Andy had already reached the shore of the river.
In fact, he stopped halfway through, at a depth where the water could only reach his chest. He was waiting for Melinda.
Melinda frowned when she saw him halfway submerged in the water. She stopped a few feet away from the water staring back at Andy.
"Since when did you know?" She asked, curious.
"About three days ago."
"How?"
Andy didn't respond to that. "Why have you been following me around?"
"Aren't you the one who saw what you weren't meant to see a few nights ago?"
Andy frowned. If she knows this, then does that mean that Principal Ganaf and that thing that killed Zeladin are also aware that I'm the one?
Panic began surging through his limbs, as the idea that he was surrounded, trapped in a spider's web, overcame him.
[Fear Response Overdrive (Lv1)]
With this passive skill of his activating, his panic began to subside, however, the fear didn't leave him completely.
As though Melinda could read his thoughts from his expressions, she smiled viciously. "Don't worry, I'm the only one who knows about this for now. I don't want your worry to pollute the state of your blood, flesh, and Mana when I feast on it. But after I'm done, I'll let the Principal know."
Hearing this, whether Andy believed her or not, he still had to face her.
"What's a Wesen?"
The moment Andy spoke this word, Medaline paused and looked at the young man with shock and confusion written all over her face.
"What are you!?" She screamed and a fierce aura came from her.
At the same time, her body began transforming.
Melinda's skin first turned into glossy, obsidian blue plating, segmented like an insect's own. From her back unfurled four slender, articulated limbs that resembled those of a weevil's rostrum.
The sharp needle-like points gleamed under the moonlight. Melinda's eyes became larger as she crouched down. With a screech, she jumped into the water.
Andy's eyes widened.
It was one thing to get a glimpse, and another to see a full-on transformation. Andy felt as if thousands of ants were crawling on his skin when he watched Melinda transform.
Before fear could hinder his movement, his fear response overdrive came to his rescue again.
With a sharp turn, Andy dived into the water, swimming towards the deeper parts of the water.
Right behind him was Melinda. Due to her extra limbs, she seemed to be swimming faster than Andy could.
Upon realizing this, Andy activated his Drowned Resolve.
[Drowned Resolve: You become stronger in water, with your endurance, when under water, your recovery is heightened! +15% Strength. +20% Agility. +10% Endurance. Able to survive underwater for 20 minutes without air.]
Name: Anderson Naver
Race: Human
Rank: None
Mana Rank: Initiate
Status: Awakening
Skill Slots: 2/5
Mana Capacity: 20/100
Strength: 94 – (108.1)
Agility: 15 – (18)
Endurance: 108 – (118.8)
Will: 123/123
Intelligence: 9
With this increase in strength and agility, a single stroke from Andy took him several meters deeper in a second, stunning Melinda once again.
But it wasn't enough to make her give up. She chased relentlessly, up until the point that they both ended up in the darker depths of the river.
Where the water was cold and the moon's light couldn't reach.
Melinda frowned. What's the point of coming here? You can't see me, and I can't see you. She thought as she waited a while.
Both of them had already been underwater for more than four minutes, and due to all the movements Melinda had made, she was already reaching the point where she needed to head back to the surface.
At one point, even you too would have to come to the surface for air. She sneered and began swimming for the surface.
Just as she swam a few meters, she felt something grab onto her leg. It was so sudden and powerful that her enlarged eyes became even bigger.
Where do you think you are going?! Andy thought viciously as he used the kitchen knife in his other hand to slice her Achilles heels.