Smiling, I continued on my way home but then a sound stopped me in my tracks and all the hair on my skin stood up in alarm.
It was a growl…the sound cut across the trees, low and deep and absolutely terrifying.
The kind of sound that didn’t just reach the ears but sank straight into the bones.
Every hair on my body stood instantly.
Slowly…very slowly, I turned around and froze.
Host, it’s a Tier Four mutated beast!!!!
What the fuck is that?!
The creature standing several meters away barely resembled a normal buffalo anymore.
It was enormous…monstrously enormous.
Its body towered over the surrounding trees like a moving wall of flesh and muscle, dark coarse fur hanging unevenly over swollen veins and twisted scars.
The beast looked unnaturally bulky, as though its muscles had grown far beyond what its skin could contain.
Its eyes were the worst part.
Huge bloodshot eyes stared directly at me, glowing faintly crimson beneath the darkness while madness and hunger swirled violently inside them.
There was no intelligence there…only slaughter and only bloodlust.
Steam burst from its nostrils with every heavy breath, the sound harsh and violent as though the creature itself was struggling to contain its rage.
Its nose twitched constantly, sniffing the air like it had already caught the scent of prey.
Me.
Its massive horns curved upward like sharpened blades, stained dark with old dried blood and chunks of flesh that hadn’t fully fallen off yet.
Oh my god.
Its hooves dug into the earth violently, cracking the ground beneath its weight as strings of saliva dripped from its huge mouth.
Then it snorted as if it has already accessed me and the trees around it trembled.
Fear rose up deep within me and I felt a tremble rush through my legs…my mind and everything within me told me to run but I couldn’t, if I did then I’m toast.
This thing looked like something that could destroy me even before I take a single step.
MiuMiu?
Host, you have to get out of there now.
You think I don’t know that?
Don’t you think if I moved a step then I’m freaking toast bread?
A very flat one at that?
Not the time for jokes, host.
Well, help me think of a way o— Move out of the way!!
Dock to your left now!!
Instantly, I forced my body to the left just as a massive shape went sailing past me and I slammed into the ground, albeit not too hard.
I quickly got back up to my feet and turned around, onto to find the beast had turned around and was snarling angrily now at me.
Oh oh, he’s angry.
You think?
Run!!!
I turned around and darted forward, not even bothering to echo which way I was going.
The silver cores weighed on me as I ran and I gritted my teeth before throwing it into the surrounding bushes and marking it with my eyes.
Host, faster!!
It’s catching up!
You think I don’t know that?
I dodged just as a massive hoove went flashing past me but I underestimated how smart the beast was in battle because the next second, the hooves veered to the side and slammed hard into my stomach.
The force of it sent me flying and I slammed hard into the trunk of a tree.
A small groan left my lips as the world spun all around me.
Fuck, I couldn’t die here?
Not after my first death.
Why should I let this ugly beast kill me not even two weeks into the time I’ve spent in this world?
I raised my head up and glared at the approaching beast, it was staring at me like it loved the game we seemed to be playing and was having fun toying with me.
“Y—you ugly duckling, why don’t you come for me?!!” I cried out as I forced my early abilities to work in healing myself while pulling out the sharp dagger from my system space behind my back.
“What?
Can’t fight again?
Are you so weak?” I goaded, trying to draw its ire and I don’t know if it understood me or it got enough of my words because it leaned back and lunged at me.
I had half the time to duck to the side before it came crashing down on the exact same tree I had been leaning into and a loud— SMASH —filled the entire place as the tree exploded apart into flying splinters and chunks of bark.
The ground shook violently beneath my feet.
Dust and leaves burst everywhere into the air as the beast stumbled forward, shaking its massive head furiously after the collision and I took that as my chance.
Its hide rippled violently beneath thick muscles as it tried to regain its balance and I lunged forward immediately, biting down hard on my lips as I raised the dagger high above my head before bringing it down toward its neck.
Miscalculation.
Its eyes shifted and rolled backwards unnaturally and my own widened when the thick tail behind it whipped forward faster than I could even process.
Something slammed hard against my chest.
CRACK!
The air vanished from my lungs as my body was sent hurtling backwards like a broken doll before smashing violently into another tree.
The poor thing groaned loudly beneath the force before cracking down the middle.
Fuck, what is with you and trees!!
A sharp cry of pain tore from my throat as I folded into myself instinctively.
Everywhere hurt.
No… Hurt was too small a word for this.
Pain burned through every inch of me like my body had just been shattered apart and stitched back together wrongly.
I was sure half…maybe half and quarter of my ribs had broken from that hit alone.
Fuck, is this how I die this time?
Not even giving me the freedom to die in my sleep like I once did but making me work for it?
Seriously, death…are you so wicked?
The beast snorted loudly, thick steam blasting from its nostrils as it slowly turned toward me again.
And that was when I realized it…this thing wasn’t attacking recklessly anymore…it…it was playing.
Playing with me!!
Its bloodshot eyes gleamed with something disturbingly close to excitement as it slowly pawed at the ground beneath its massive hooves before charging again.
Death…no, no, host hold on!
Don’t be silly, hold on?
To what?
The last of my ribs??
Fuck that hurts so much.
I cried out softly as I tightened into myself, my entire body trembling as pain racked through every one of my nerves.
I can give you a spear, a sword or a bow and arrow to use against it, you can have it afterwards!
Just don’t die on me!!
Huh?
Spear?
Staring at the approaching beast’s thick hide and matted fur, I knew using a sword or arrow or even my dagger was like helping it trim it’s overgrown coat.
So spear was the best chance I have now.
But a problem stands in the fact that…I can’t move any part of my body right now…not even to fucking heal myself.
The beast charged again and the earth trembled harder this time as its enormous body bulldozed through trees and bushes effortlessly as it rushed toward me like a moving mountain of death.
Wait a minute, if the earth ability is within me, I don’t really need to channel it out with only my hands right?
Can’t I use any part of my body to do it?
Forcing my mind to focus on this rather than the pain, I quickly reached inside of me but the energy slipped away from my grip before I could do anything.
No, no no— I snapped open my eyes just in time for something massive to slam into me again and the impact felt like being struck by a speeding truck.
My body flew backwards once more before crashing so hard into a smaller tree that the entire thing bent violently from the force.
Branches rained down around me.
Well, I think I’m thinking close to death.
Fuck!!!!!
Fuck!!!!!
Pain exploded everywhere.
White, hot, blinding pain.
My vision turned completely white for a moment as agony consumed every inch of me.
My ears rang violently and I could taste blood inside my mouth.
At that moment, I felt a pain unlike anything I had ever experienced before and somehow… That pain forced me to finally grab hold of the earth energy within me and the moment my consciousness latched onto it, the energy surged wildly through my body like a river breaking through a dam.
If I couldn’t heal myself now, I could numb the pain to get this over and done with.
The pain slowly ebbed away from my body the more I forced the earth energy through my veins.
Warmth spread through my broken ribs and ny shaking arms steadied.
And soon…I felt as though nothing had happened to me at all.
The beast slowed it movements and I saw confusion flicker briefly inside its bloodshot eyes as it watched me slowly rise back to my feet.
Blood dripped from the corner of my lips, ny clothes were torn and my entire body ached underneath the numbness but my eyes slowly turned cold.
MiuMiu, spear!
The spear materialized instantly in my hands.
It was heavy and sharp but God, it was perfect.
The beast let out a furious roar and pawed aggressively at the ground before charging straight toward me again, faster than before.
The earth shook beneath every step and recalling every one of the combat skills I had painfully learnt back in my old world, I rushed forward too.
The distance between us closed rapidly…way too rapidly.
Its massive horns lowered toward me, intending to gore straight through my stomach and I waited— Waited—then at the very last second, I veered sharply off course and leapt toward the nearest giant tree.
My feet slammed against the trunk.
One step…then two….and then, three.
I ran briefly along the side of the massive tree before kicking off hard into the air just as the beast skidded to a stop beneath me, confusion finally entering its crazed eyes.
Too late.
I raised the spear high above my head and brought it down with every ounce of strength left in my body.
Straight toward its skull.
The sharp tip pierced through thick hide with a sickening crunch.
A roar of absolute fury exploded through the forest as the beast began thrashing violently beneath me.
Its massive body slammed through trees wildly while trying to dislodge me.
Branches whipped across my face and my arms screamed in agony from the force, urging me to give in.
But I knew— I knew that if I let go now, I was becoming premium-quality French toast.
“I am NOT dying here, you ugly cow!!!” The beast roared harder and blood exploded from the wound as I gritted my teeth and shoved the spear deeper with shaking arms.
Deeper and deeper.
The creature began stumbling now, its movements becoming slower and more erratic as black blood poured down its face.
Still…I didn’t stop.
I forced the spear down harder until the sharp metallic end finally burst through the underside of its jaw.
The beast froze and its body convulsed violently once.
Twice…then slowly—very slowly— It collapsed to the ground beneath me with an earth-shaking boom.
And stopped moving.
I took a moment to check if it had really died and wasn’t receiving me before I let go of the spear and slid down its side, slamming to the ground with a dull thud.
I watched the spear disappear from the body of the beast but it was at that same moment that the earth energy wore off and the pain returned in full force.
A sharp scream slipped past my lips and tore through the night air as agony ripped through my entire being and at that same moment, my vision blurred and darkened and I instantly lost consciousness.
Give me more motivation!