[Viperwolf - Level 9]

Once again, the window didn't show anything other than the name and level. Even though he wished it would show more information, such as the target's strengths and weaknesses, or even their habits, this was enough. He could roughly estimate the strength of the targets by looking at their level.

After Eric dodged, the ViperWolf failed to bite him and banged its head against a tree. It shook its head to clear the dizziness before glaring at him.

They were about thirty feet apart. The viperwolf growled, saliva dripping from its mouth, as it locked eyes with Eric, who put the dagger in front of him and prepared to face the creature.

What should I do?

Recognizing it as a wolf, he knew his chances of escaping were slim as he remembered reading an article stating that wolves could reach speeds up to 40 mph when hunting prey, while the fastest human ever recorded didn't exceed 30 during a sprint. Eric was far from being called the fastest, and his speed was significantly slower. Furthermore, this wasn't an ordinary wolf, it just resembled one. He suspected it to be much faster, which Relinquished his hope of escaping, and made him focus on devising a plan to survive the unavoidable confrontation.

Wait, is it alone or are there others?!

Eric took a quick look around, but the moment his eyes left the ViperWolf, it let out an enraged howl and charged straight at him. The ViperWolf managed to close the distance between them in two seconds before leaping higher than Eric. Its six claws spread wide, ready to grab him and tear him apart.

Startled, Eric jumped aside to avoid the beast, but a claw still managed to graze him. He groaned, but didn't dwell on the pain, and instead delivered a high kick to its gut while it was still in the air. The ViperWolf was sent flying before crashing into a tree.

Eric didn't lunge at it, and instead, looked at the spot where it had grazed him. His shirt was ripped open and blood poured from his side.

Fortunately, it was only a scratch and its claws didn't hit me directly. He thought, clutching his wound.

The ViperWolf shook its head before glaring at Eric. The kick didn't seem to have dealt any kind of damage to it as the beast didn't show any signs of retreat, and instead its growls intensified, seemingly more hungry.

Its skin is too hard! I almost broke my leg with that kick! Eric shook his leg to get rid of numbness. The kick hurt him more than it did to the wolf. This is going to be a tough fight.

I can't be passive here or else I'm going to suffer more injuries if I only defend. He clenched the dagger tightly as his thoughts raced. I must take the initiative and set the battle tempo as I want it to be.

Before the viperwolf could attack, Eric ran towards an area of dense trees. There was very little space between each tree and the next, but it was enough for him to run between them.

Trees will take its speed advantage, making it harder for it to maneuver.

Glancing behind to check if the ViperWolf followed him, Eric was startled. His eyes widened as he saw the wolf leap from one tree to another using the trunks as a sprint foot.

"Fuck! Was it raised by monkeys!"

Its extra limbs, which the normal wolf didn't have, worked as claws, allowing it to cling to the tree and then use its other four legs to jump to another tree.

This is not going to work. I might have given it an advantage by bringing it to this area instead of hindering it.

Eric kept an eye on the wolf as it moved around the trees when it suddenly disappeared from his view.

Shit, where did it go?

Eric stopped and checked his surroundings, then turned around when he felt a tickling sensation behind his back, it was similar to the feeling you get when someone is watching you from a distance.

Glancing behind him, he only saw a flash before he felt a searing pain on his chest as the wolf's claw grazed him.

"Aghh" Jumping back, Eric put a hand on his chest but didn't have the luxury to check how deep his wound was as the wolf didn't give him a chance, and bolted straight towards him, its maw wide open.

Barely having time to react, Eric took an unstable step, his back touching the tree. He cursed himself for thinking that this was a good position to stay as he wanted to use the tree as a wall for the wolf to hit its head, and when it was in a daze he would attack the wolf, but now his plan was backfired, and the tree he hoped to use as a weapon to gain advantage became an obstacle that hindered his escape.

With not much of a choice left, he swung the dagger horizontally with all the power he could muster, but with his shaky stance, there was no real power behind the blow. Still, it managed to hit the beast's open maw, preventing it from biting him. Unfortunately, the dagger stuck between its teeth.

The beast kept shaking its head, trying to take the dagger away from Eric's hand.

I can't lose my weapon!

He tightened his grip and made sure to never let go as he would be at a disadvantage if the dagger was lost, and the chances of winning against the Viperwolf would drop dramatically.

A few moments passed and the wolf still hadn't managed to take the dagger, so it took a different approach. it suddenly stood up on its hind legs, giving it enough strength to push Eric against the tree.

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Damnit!

The wolf's face was so close to his face that he could smell its foul breath while the saliva splattered on him. He knew that this wasn't the best time to curse it for spitting on him as he was struggling to keep the beast from ripping his face off.

Suddenly, the front paws of the monster latched on him, and he couldn't dodge with the little distance between them. The claws drew a deep gash on his midriff. Large three lines of wounds were ripped open, and blood immediately poured out. Even though Eric had more painful experiences than this on the battlefields, it still managed to cloud his vision and threatened to incapacitate him completely. He shook his head to regain focus, but it had little effect.

What the hell should I do? How can I get it away from me?! His eyes searched around for a way to get out of this situation until his gaze landed on something. He raised his head meeting the wolf's eyes and smirked. Without hesitation, he kicked its balls. Even though the kick didn't have much strength due to the tree behind him, which prevented him from fully pulling his leg back, it still managed to make the beast release a painful howl.

Eric took this opportunity to retrieve the dagger from its open maw, and delivered another kick, this time with more strength to it. The moment his foot connected, he felt something break and a moisture on his leg.

The wolf released another howl but this time it felt more like a whimper, swinging its paws out of reflexes. He blocked one with his hand, but there were still three more paws coming his way, he could only block one more attack with his other hand, but he decided against it.

Taking a strong deep breath, his stomach sucked up almost reaching his back which made the paw miss it by a few inches. A painful groan escaped Eric's mouth as the other two paws drew bloody lines on his chest, but he didn't lose focus. He clenched the dagger in his free hand before stabbing the Viperwolf's eye.

The beast once again released an enraged, but painful howl. It tried to swing its claws at him to distance itself, but Eric was a step ahead. He hugged its neck, bringing himself closer, then using the tree behind him as sprint foot, he pushed, which made both of them fall on the ground, with him being atop the beast.

He put his knee in its chest to keep it from moving, but the viperwolf still grazed him with its mid-claws. The pain was staggering, but the coursing adrenaline in his system kept him going. This was the small window he created for himself, and if this didn’t work, he had no other recourse. Pushing himself up a little, he used one hand to hold the wolf's neck, and using all the strength he could muster, he shoved the dagger further into the wolf's eye. A great spurt of blood and a pained yelp accompanied it.

Why isn't it dead yet?!!

He didn't know what kept this monster alive after having a knife inserted into its skull. If it was a normal wolf, it would be long gone, but it looked like it had different nerve systems and vital points than any creature he ever heard of. Whatever its resilience or agility, it far surpassed what he could think of.

Eric's grip around its neck tightened even further, which made the wolf struggle harder and delivered more scratches. Claws pierced his gut and sides, but he held on. The more desperate it roars, the firmer Eric's grip becomes.

I need to finish this quickly! I will be in trouble if other monsters come here!

Not wanting to wait for that to happen, Eric pulled the dagger from its eye and raised it high. A few drops of blood landed on his eye, temporarily blinding him.

Fuck!!

The ViperWolf took the opportunity of Eric's momentarily distraction and flipped itself, exchanging the places with Eric, with it being on top. It then bit his arm.

"Damnit!"

Eric couldn't hold his scream as its sharp teeth pierced his skin. He felt his arm about to be ripped apart as the wolf moved.

I'm going to lose my arm if this bastard keeps shaking its head!!

Instead of attempting to remove his arm from the beast's maw, he clenched the broken dagger and pierced the wolf right in the neck over and over again. Its eyes widened and tried to back away, but Eric wasn't going to allow such a thing.

"Oh, no! You're not getting away this time, you fucker!”

Using the remaining strength he had left, Eric slit its throat. Blood poured like a fountain, soaking his whole body. Some of the blood even entered his mouth.

Aghh, disgusting!!

Eric watched as the light slowly faded from the Viperwolf's eyes and felt the grip on his arm loosen. He tossed its lifeless body aside.

It was a close call. I thought I was going to die.

Eric pushed himself up just enough to put his back against a tree. Deep breaths escaped his lips as he calmed down from all the adrenaline coursing through his veins. His face was drenched in sweat from the pain, and his hands were still shaking. He felt His body temperature rise. He knew that this wasn't the time to reflect on his actions as he needed immediate treatment, or else he might die of blood loss.

He carefully removed what was left of his blood-soaked shirt, wincing as the fabric stuck to some of his wounds. The pain was worse than ripping off a Band-Aid as he removed the clothing.

The claws of the beast had left a trail of jagged lines in his chest, and blood oozed from the cuts. Thankfully, most of the wounds were just skin scratches, only a few were deep as the blood kept oozing out. He clenched his teeth and put pressure on the largest injury. A big gash on his chest showed some of his ribcage.

I need to clean it and stop the bleeding or else I'm-

His ears perked as he heard the sound of hurried steps. His movement stopped.

Damnit!! Give me a fucking break, will you!!

He was getting tired from the endless attacks he suffered since the moment he woke up and was sure anyone would feel the same if they were in his position.

He forced himself up while clutching his chest, keeping pressure on the injuries. After suffering so much, he wasn't going to underestimate the creatures of this forest. No matter what kind of creature was coming, he wouldn't let his guard down.

He forced himself to move, sneaking up to an area filled with dense trees and hiding behind one.

Are there more wolves coming?!

Wolves were animals that lived in packs, and even though the one he killed could barely be considered a real wolf, there was still a possibility that it had similar habits to the wolves, so he thought that its kind was coming this way after they heard the howls.

Just as he was considering what to do, the sounds of two running animals came closer, one heavy and the other fast. A high-pitched cry filled the air before a thud could be heard as the steps came to a halt.

A sickening crunch filled Eric's ears and then silence. Were they fighting?

From the sound of steps and the roars he heard, he judged that at least two creatures were coming this way. But it didn't seem like they came together, instead, they were fighting or more like one creature chased another. The last thud he heard was probably the sound of one of them falling, as for the crunching sound, after being attacked several times, he could imagine the fate of the fallen creature.

After a while the chewing sounds stopped, and he heard steps coming his way.

Fuck! Is it coming for me?!

Sneaking a glance around the tree. He immediately froze, breathing lightly and making as little sound as possible. His eyes widened as he saw a familiar figure.

It was the four-eyed monster bear that he met at the start. The one who devoured his friend and almost ate him.

His fingers dug holes into the bark and murderous intent flashed through his eyes.

After careful observation, a sound resounded in his mind and a tiny message popped up in his eyesight at the top of the bear. Paying attention to it, the message read.

[Venomous bear - lvl 129]