Eshner ran towards me, eyes glaring red. Her jaw widened and the full row of dagger-shaped fangs flew at me.

{Rush has been activated}

I dodged to my right, letting her fly past me and attack the air. I drove my chakram against her shoulder and carved into her, leaving a trail of blood behind me.

“Gaaaahhhh!!! You bastard–how dare you!” She roared.

The health bar above her head had barely fallen. I had managed to land quite a few of those strikes, each one chipped her down but her health was no less than in the green.

Carved up from all angles, her pure white fur was soaked in blood and scratches. Eshner’s eyes were consumed with red, she didn’t look conscious anymore. Overcome with an unbridled rage, she sought only to attack me, nothing else.

Still riddled with wounds, she rushed at me with her body close to the ground. Even in such a state, she managed to display a demonic level of speed and appeared in front of me before I could get a breath in.

I pulled back to avoid it but a thin striped tail swung through the air and crashed into my stomach. What was left of my breath was knocked out and I went flying back into the wall. The crash that followed, sent my HP bar dwindling into the red.

I suppose I can’t expect anything less when fighting with a monster as strong as her. She’s way too high-level to be fighting, this is the most I can get away with…

I rushed for the health potion in my waist bag and drank it as fast as possible.

{User has consumed a standard-grade health potion}

“Cough-Cough! O-okay…now I’m good to go.” I wiped my mouth and watched as my health bar rose to its maximum amount.

{User has restored their Health to 100%}

Eshner pounced over me and both claws flew down to my face, narrowly avoiding my cheek as I rolled beneath her.

“Don’t toy with me, human!” Eshner’s body lit up with the powerful white glow of mana, every hair on her body stood on end as the gleaming red glow of her eyes intensified.

Another burst of speed? I doubt my stamina or health will last if this continues, I’m already running low!

Her eyes widened and returned to their regular yellow shade, followed by her glow that disappeared with it. The large traces of mana that surged around her had vanished and left behind a terrified expression on her face.

“What…what the hell? My body isn’t listening to me, why can’t I feel my strength returning?!” Eshner panicked.

The corners of my mouth curled up as I dusted off my shoulders.

“All out of mana? Great, I think it’s about time we end things.”

Eshner and I ran at each other, once we met at the centre of the room an exchange of slashes and cuts broke out. Her claws flew at me in rapid succession, cutting into my arms and legs as I tried my best to slip around her.

I left a few sizable marks on her too but not enough to brag about. A desperate look overtook her and she suddenly snapped her jaw at me but I avoided it with ease. She threw her whole body behind her attacks, diving with every attack.

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“Sloppy,” I stated.

Her widened eyes and trembling body lashed out as she rushed over to anywhere I moved. There was no thought behind her moves, just wild intent. I saw through it all, more so than before.

The longer the fight went on, the easier it was to avoid her attacks. She was predictable, down to her breath.

I dodged and weaved past her attacks, leaving slashes behind on her. While she wasn’t able to land a single blow on me, I managed to cut through her chest and leave behind a profuse amount of wounds.

She stepped back, her head turned to her shaken legs in disbelief.

“H-how could this be…? You’ve made me, an apex predator…afraid? No way! I refuse!”

I won’t be able to kill her like this, her health is still pretty high and my arms are already tired. I need to deal more damage and fast!

“I guess it’s time to gamble on this…hopefully it works.” I took a deep breath and bent my knees slightly. With a calm tone, I faced Eshner head-on and yelled, “Rush!”

Mana surrounded my feet and I felt the effects of the skill lighten my body. I reached for a bottle filled with blue liquid at my waist, it was the last I had. I tilted my head back and drank it in one gulp, then tossed the bottle aside.

{User has consumed a high-grade mana potion}

{Mana has been restored to 100%}

“Who gives a shit about if you have potions, I’ll tear you right back down to your last breath!” Eshner threatened.

“He-he-he…I’m not sure you’ll get the chance to see my health drop that low. After all, you’ll be six feet under by then.”

Eshner’s teeth grew more apparent as the corners of her mouth drew back. She lunged forward and her beastly body cleared the room in a single bound.

“Strength, that’s what’s needed to beat a demon. That’s what’s needed to beat you.” I balled my hands into fists. “Strength alteration!”

{User has activated Strength Alteration}

{User has converted mana points into strength. Physical abilities have drastically increased}

I shot forward and under Eshner’s fury belly, I reeled my arm back and drove my fist up into her gut. The resounding force of my punch created a wave of pressure and her body shot into the ceiling.

The damage is pretty amazing! I think that one hit alone did more than three cuts with my blades, is that even fair?

Eshner's body rolled through the air until she crashed into the ground with a heavy bang. Not even a minute later, she jolted up on all fours and frantically searched around the room.

I rushed in and using the effects of my boosted speed, I managed to close in on her shoulder, outside her range of view. I delivered a powerful blow to her body and then another to her belly. One after the other, I sent out a flurry of strikes and kicks that chipped her health far into the red.

Blood ran down my knuckles and her body had shrunk to the size of a large human again. Her fur and animal features faded away under the dim glare of her mana.

“No wonder this skill uses up all my mana, it seriously kicks things up a notch. If it wasn’t for this ability, I wouldn’t have beaten you.”

“I…I haven’t lost…I won’t!” She muttered.

The green hue of energy that surrounded my body faded away, I reached for the chakrams at my lower back. I stood over her bloodied body, her health bar was close to zero and she still didn’t seem to notice. She had been so focused on me that she didn’t respond at all to the blood and multiple carvings on her body.

“It’s over,” I stated coldly.

Swish!

A powerful wave of mana appeared behind me and every hair on my neck stood on end, screaming at me to move out of the way. My fatigued body pulled to the side and with a sluggish step, I avoided the blazing ball of flames that hurled towards me.

It crashed into the wall and left a red-hot crater of molten stone. My body shivered at the sight of it. My eyes traced it back to the attacker.

A man dressed in dreary robes stood at the entrance of the room with his hand raised at me. I focused on him and an info screen appeared over him.

{Warning: Boss grade monster has been detected}

{Larc the Shadow Warlock}

“No level next to his name either? Oh crap, could he be a demon as well?!”