Anyone would have questioned Dan’s sanity if they had any idea what was going through his mind at that moment because he was thinking about killing one of these abominations.
To be more precise, he was thinking about whether he could finish off whichever monster emerged from this battle in the worst condition.
He remained crouched behind the tree, moving his eyes between the Jade Serpent and the Horned Wolf.
Which one would emerge victorious?
If he was being completely honest, the Jade Serpent seemed to be the stronger of the two. Not only did it possess near-impenetrable defenses, as evidenced by the way the Horned Wolf’s claws and fangs struggled to tear through its thick armoured scales, but its enormous body gave it a tremendous advantage in terms of raw physical might.
One careless mistake was all it would take to end the fight.
Those massive coils could crush the wolf’s bones, while the venom dripping from its elongated fangs seemed capable of melting through flesh. On the other hand, however, the Horned Wolf had something the Jade Serpent lacked:
...Speed.
It was considerably smaller, but that seemed to make it far more agile. Rather than confronting the serpent head-on, it constantly darted around its attacks, waiting for an opening before striking. It was like watching a battle between a fortress and a blade.
Dan’s gaze narrowed on the two monstrosities as he ran through multiple scenarios in his head.
’If they were both in perfect condition, I’d bet on the serpent. But given their current state, I can’t confidently predict which one will win. They seem almost evenly matched.’
More importantly, there were their injuries to consider.
The Jade Serpent had several deep wounds running across its body, some of which had exposed the flesh beneath its thick scales. Blood continuously seeped from those injuries, staining the jade-colored scales a dark crimson.
Needless to say, the Horned Wolf wasn’t faring any better.
Its dark-gray fur was matted with blood, one of its hind legs was visibly injured, and its breathing had become increasingly labored. Perhaps the beast had miscalculated, or maybe it had simply been caught off guard by one of the serpent’s attacks. Either way, there was a good chance it had been struck by that deadly venom.
Dan’s eyes lingered on the translucent liquid dripping from the serpent’s fangs.
He had already witnessed what happened when the venom touched the ground. It simply corroded whatever it came into contact with.
And if even a fraction of that substance had entered the wolf’s body, then the situation was far worse than what could be seen from the outside.
’If I’m right, that venom is probably damaging its internal organs.’
As if to prove his point, the Horned Wolf suddenly staggered and lowered its head, shaking it as though trying to clear away a dizzying sensation. Then it coughed out small amount of blood from its swollen mouth.
The wolf’s condition was indeed deteriorating from the inside, which changed the scope of the battle.
On the surface, the two monstrous creatures appeared evenly matched. But if the serpent’s venom was slowly destroying the wolf’s organs, then the Horned Wolf was fighting against a second enemy that Dan couldn’t even see.
’Poor thing. It must be hard fighting under such conditions.’
’Unfortunately, life is unfair, so make sure to struggle a little longer! You should blame Mother Nature for your predicament!’
’Yeah, just a little more...’
Dan had no intention of showing pity to either creature. If anything, he was silently praying for them to continue fighting and wear themselves out.
And the weaker they became, the better for him.
Of course, he understood how utterly absurd and ridiculous his thoughts sounded right now.
Two monsters were fighting to the death, and instead of running away, he was patiently waiting for them to weaken each other so he could swoop in and claim the spoils.
Certainly, he didn’t know where the road would lead, nor what dangers awaited him along the way.
All he could see were the threats infront of him, so he must become strong enough to the point where he could face those unpleasant threat that could hinder his way of life.
He soon activated [Dream] and manifested a bow and arrow before deciding to wait. Moments later, his patience was heavily rewarded.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
The Horned Wolf unleashed a tremendous roar that shook the air before lunging toward its target. Despite its injuries, it moved with astonishing speed, rapidly closing the distance between itself and the Jade Serpent.
In response, the Jade Serpent immediately raised its head and opened its enormous jaws, intending to swallow its prey whole.
But it was already too late.
The Horned Wolf had already leaped out of the way, its claws tearing across the serpent’s exposed flesh as it passed.
Blood sprayed through the air. The Jade Serpent recoiled with a furious hiss before desperately sweeping its enormous tail across the ground.
The Horned Wolf attempted to leap over it.
But its injured hind leg betrayed it at the last moment and for that brief instant, the beast lost its balance in mid-air.
That was all the opportunity the Jade Serpent needed.
Gathering what little strength remained in its enormous body, the serpent lunged forward and caught the Horned Wolf between its crushing jaws. The wolf let out a furious howl as its claws desperately tore at the serpent’s face. But the Jade Serpent refused to release its prey. Its enormous body coiled around the struggling wolf, wrapping around it layer after layer until the creature was completely trapped within its crushing embrace.
Before long, faint sounds of bones breaking under the immense pressure echoed through the air.
’It’s over.’
According to what Dan knew about serpents like this, once they wrapped themselves around their target, it was almost impossible to escape their hold until either the serpent released them or their prey was dead.
Though the former usually happened after the latter had already taken place. Well... he couldn’t be picky since this worked to his advantage.
He just needed not to miss.
Taking a deep breath, Dan pulled the string of the tenebrous bow and aimed the arrow’s tip, which he had concentrated its sharpness on, toward the Horned Wolf’s exposed eye.
Slowly, everything seemed to fade into the background as his entire focus narrowed down to a single point.
Growing desperate, the Horned Wolf continued fruitlessly trashing around, yet it was quite obvious that the beast lacked the strength it had possessed earlier.
’Just a little longer...’
He waited for the right opportunity, with the bowstring remaining taut between his fingers as he patiently observed the battlefield.
Eventually, the Horned Wolf move and completely exposed its right eye.
’Now!’
Without waiting a beat, he released the string.
Whoosh–!
The tenebrous arrow tore through the air.
It traveled much faster than what Dan had anticipated, leaving behind a faint trail of darkness as it blazed across the distance between them at sonic speed.
The Horned Wolf seemed to sense the incoming danger.
But there was nowhere to escape. In the end, the beast could only watch helplessly as the arrow stuck true.
Thuk–!
The sharpened tip pierced directly through the exposed eye and disappeared deep into the creature’s skull. In the next second, the Horned Wolf immediately went rigid before its body went limp.
’...Did I get it?’
Staring at the motionless beast, Dan’s gaze fell heavy with uncertainty.
Perhaps he had been too late, and the creature had simply succumbed to its injuries before the arrow finished the job. Fortunately, his worries proved to be unfounded.
A familiar voice whispered:
[You have slain a Level 6 Monohorn.]
[You have leveled up from: Level 1 → Level 3.]
[Strength +1, Spirit +2, four allocatable stats gained.]
[Your darkness grows...]