“Hmpft.”

Looking at the burn marks and the destruction the lightning left in its wake sent shivers down my spine. As someone coming from a world that “tamed” electricity I knew how dangerous it could be. Some Horde Bugs even used electricity to attack. Despite my knowledge and the amounts of times I have seen it, the destruction it caused was scary.

Not only it could blow off your limbs, shut off your brain, and boil your blood, but it was also fast. Just a fraction of a second. Faster than I could react. It was true that I dodged electricity in the past. However, it wasn’t thanks to my speed. No human, no matter how enhanced they were could react to electricity which was nearly as fast as the light. I managed to predict when and where they would shoot it just like I did a second ago.

“No wonder people always associate it with gods.”

The bull lowered its head and charged towards me. The ground shook. An electric field covered its massive body.

“As if its body wasn’t tough by itself.”

The charging bull, surrounded by an electric field, closed the distance between us with surprising speed. Guess I should have expected it to be faster than it looks. The ground trembled with each heavy step, and the air crackled with the energy emanating from its electrified form. I focused, feeling the static in the air and the intensity of the electric field. Dodging such an opponent was no easy feat, but I relied on my Enhanced Senses and experience to predict its movements. As the bull closed in, I waited for the precise moment to make my move.

With a sudden burst of speed, I sidestepped the charging beast, narrowly avoiding its electrified horns and slamming my hammer to the side of its head. Despite my hammer not conducting electricity before, sparks jumped to my arms shocking me. As the beast stumbled to the side due to my counter, I struggled to keep my grip on my hammer.

The beast was mostly unfazed. It seemed more pissed with the fact that I was able to hit it. It whipped its head and stomped its hoove to the ground. I ran as the lightning fell from the sky and the ground caved in. This kind of attack with no rhythm was my weakness as the lightning fell randomly. One of them got me. The intense shock numbed my limbs, momentarily paralyzing my movements. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I pushed through the numbness and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding another random lightning strike.

I raised my head and saw the bull looking down at me, probably enraged by my audacity to survive its attacks. The lightning attacks lessened and I noticed several cows trying to get up. Some other cows poked their unmoving calves with their noses.

…

“You fucking asshole.”

I spat out despite knowing it only made me a bigger hypocrite.

“Aren’t you alpha or something? Don’t you have to defend them?”

I wasn’t expecting an actual answer but electricity being focused between horns was a little bit too much! Give me a break! I was about to move but I noticed a calf behind me. Its leg was stuck between the cracked ground. It mooed, probably for its mother but no cow seemed to care.

“God, I am such an idiot.”

In a move that would make Bolverk proud, I infused mana into my hammer and swung it just before the bull could release the lightning. Gaia Burst tore off a massive chunk of rock and sent it flying to the bull. It released its lightning, and they clashed. Lightning turned the rock into dust which rained upon me as I pulled the calf’s feet from the crack.

“I really hope that they don’t watch over me.”

If the previous owners of Sacred Sword of Selection saw what I did after all my cynical talk, I think I would die because of embarrassment.

The dust settled as I shooed away the calf, revealing the angered expression of the bull. Most of the herd was scattered and disoriented. If I knew that it would be friendly fire, I wouldn’t have sent Gökbörü. The bull, undeterred by the earlier skirmish, charged once again. Its electrified horns crackled with energy, and the air hummed with the impending clash. I gripped my hammer tightly, ready to face the formidable opponent.

“Hold up… This is…”

Just the repeat of what it did before?

Once again, I struck the side of its head, sparks traveling to my arms. The beast shrugged the damage and stomped the ground.

I see.

I manifested several spears as I crawled on all fours. They drew in the lightning, becoming makeshift lightning rods. Their protection allowed me to think.

Focused Lightning Blast> Charge> Lightning Rain

Did it alternate between those three attacks in that order like a video game boss? If it was true then the next attack was Focused Lightning Blast. It required charging and had a straightforward trajectory.

Rather than try to dodge or block, I calmed myself and sunk into the shadows as the lightning was fired. I exited under it, taking advantage of the shadow cast when it fired the lightning. Coating my hammer with mana and Armor Collapsing Claw, I slammed it to just the tip of its horn where it was the thinnest. Despite the difficulty of targetting a certain place with a full power strike and the dizziness caused by the Arcane Overload, I was successful with my hit but the horn was still on its head. It was tougher than I thought.

The beast stumbled several steps and tried to shrug like a teenager acting tough. I chased after it and pummeled it. Sparks shocked me more and more but I pushed through the pain.

(Monstrous Strength is activated. Strength is increased by 30 for 150 seconds.)

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

(Ferocity of Wolf King is activated. Your speed and reflexes increase by 20 percent for 3 minutes.)

The enhanced attributes from Monstrous Strength and Ferocity of Wolf King surged through me, boosting my strength, speed, and reflexes. With these buffs, I intensified my assault on the Thundering Herd's leader, determined to exploit any weakness I could find.

“You need time to cast all those special attacks, right? Come on, let’s fight like man!”

This bastard. It had a body bigger and stronger than the others but all it did was those stupid attacks! Come on, let’s grapple like I used to do with our cows! My hammer struck more and more, pushing it back despite the electricity traveling to my body.

The repeated strikes to its electrified horns and the relentless assault seemed to agitate the beast further. Sparks flew with each impact, and the bull's attempts to retaliate became increasingly desperate. With each strike, I aimed for vulnerable points, exploiting any weaknesses in its defenses. The enhanced attributes from Monstrous Strength and Ferocity of Wolf King provided me with the physical prowess needed to withstand the shocks and press on with the assault.

The bull, perhaps frustrated by its inability to unleash its special attacks, responded with a series of wild maneuvers. It thrashed its electrified horns, attempting to shake me off. Despite the sparks dancing around us, I held my ground, refusing to let go of the advantage gained.

I hit the top of its head as it lowered its head to gorge me, burying its head into the ground. I lifted my hammer to bring it down but I lost my balance.

“This fuck!”

As if it was imitating Gaia Burst, the ground beneath my feet shifted and flew into the air, sending me flying along with them. Even though my vision was blocked off by the dirt and rocks flying, I could see it casting the Focused Lightning Blast. The moment I would hit the ground it would release it and I would get hit by it.

“Gökbörü!”

A part of me wanted to believe that I could Shadow Walk the moment I hit to ground and escape to a safer place. However, I trusted neither the amount of mana I had nor my focus. A white, fluffy thing hit me, pushing me out of the attack's range.

We both fell to the ground.

“Ice Wall!”

I shouted and with a bark, Gökbörü formed a massive ice wall between us and the beast. I knew that charge was the next attack. I got as fast as I could, my arms and legs shaking due to the shocks I endured.

“Howl!”

I shouted as the bull broke down the ice wall like it was a sheet of paper.

(War Beast’s Howl fills you with power. You gained Hyper Armor for 10 seconds. Your Strength and Agility increases by 10. Your weapons will carry small amounts of Aliera’s divine power.)

Gökbörü’s howl filled my head as the bull hit me. A loud crack and pain told me that several of my ribs were broken. I expected to be thrown to the sky or pushed down by the bull’s massive frame but my body didn’t move an inch.

So this was Hyper Armor. I would be impressed if I wasn’t in this much pain. The bull also must think like me since it looked at me with surprised eyes. Guess everything else it charged was brutally crushed.

I swung my hammer as Gökbörü manifested a massive spear. Both hit the confused bull.

(You are fighting together with your partner. Your stats increases by 10 percent.)

The bull, initially surprised by the turn of events, roared in frustration. It retaliated with a series of wild movements, attempting to shake us off. The electrified horns crackled menacingly, but we persisted in our assault. Sparks and drops of blood flew with each strike, and the beast's attempts to retaliate became increasingly desperate.

Taking advantage of Gökbörü’s ice slowing it down, I pulled Nidhogg's Reckoning Blade from my bag of holding. Infusing my blood into the Venomshade Ring from my torn hands, I stabbed the blade into a wound Gökbörü created.

(You injected large amounts of venom.)

The Hyper Armor granted by War Beast's Howl was gone some time ago, and I could feel the pain from my broken ribs intensifying. The bull also wasn’t in a hot shape either. Its huge size must be its only protection against toxins. The bull bellowed in pain as the venom coursed through its veins, further weakening its resolve. The combination of Gökbörü's relentless attacks, the venomous strike, and my continuous assault seemed to wear down the Thundering Herd's leader.

The bull, now visibly distressed, attempted a feeble charge, but its movements lacked the ferocity seen earlier. The electrified horns flickered, and the once imposing beast seemed to waver on the edge of collapse.

Feeling the urgency of the moment, I summoned the last reserves of strength. With Gökbörü by my side, we pressed on with the assault, determined to bring down the Thundering Herd's leader.

The bull, overwhelmed by the combined onslaught, stumbled and fell to its knees. Its massive form quivered as the venom continued to course through its veins, sapping the last remnants of its strength. I looked down on it with no pity.

Shadows wrapped around my hammer, absorbing it into my arsenal.

(Your Strength and Vitality increases by 2. Your Mana increases by 1.)

(You can summon a copy of Wurm-Scale Earthshaker.)

I summoned a copy and brought it down, putting the beast of its misery.

(You collected Soul of Thunderhoof Bison Alpha.)

(You cleared the second floor of the Chimera Garden.)

The battlefield, once filled with the crackling energy of the Thundering Herd, fell silent. The remaining members of the herd, witnessing the fall of their leader, scattered in disarray. Good for them, I suppose.

Gökbörü and I stood victorious, albeit battered and bruised, over the fallen Thundering Herd's leader. The spoils of victory lay before us, and the sense of accomplishment mingled with the pain and fatigue.