Leaves rustled under a young man’s feet, his silver hair dancing in the wind as he maneuvered around the dense vegetation with a purple sword in hand. Blood dyed his clothes made out of brown pelts, turning them to a darker shade.
The ground shuddered behind him, and the sound of cracking branches rang in his ears as he glanced backward, where a huge bear-like creature bulldozed through the flora as it angrily chased him, disregarding any injury to his it may cause itself.
Blood dripped from a shallow cut that ran across its stomach, and it let out an aggrieved roar as it gained ground on the boy.
The chase didn’t last long, however, as the boy stopped in the middle of a clearing where the grass has been flattened, and the ground dyed a dark crimson hue. Kai wore a faint grin as he brandished his sword, which glowed with a soft blue light as the air around it distorted.
The bear didn’t think much about the situation as its eyes were locked onto Kai, and it let out an angry roar as it ran toward him at full speed.
Kai retreated slightly, and took a fighting stance after stopping in front of a tree, watching the beast carelessly approach him as a glint appeared in his eyes.
Thirty meters… his heart began to race like never before, and adrenaline coursed through his veins as he prepared to take on the strongest opponent he’s had thus far.
Twenty meters… he gulped, the sword’s hilt trembling in his calloused hands as he clutched it tighter, his body curling up like a spring ready to snap.
Ten meters… the huge creature snarled as it opened its jaw, its red fur glowing with an intense light as its speed increased.
Five meters… the creature’s breath inundated his nostrils as it rapidly came closer, the heat emanating from its fur distorting the air around it, and Kai’s heart skipped a beat after being caught unawares.
The distance between the two was negligible, as the beast would maim him in less than a second, his whole body curled up while waiting for the right moment to present itself.
The bear’s snout was now less than thirty centimeters away from his body, and the heat emanating from its fur sent goosebumps all over his body as the pelts’ fur burned slightly.
Now!
Kai kicked up a small cloud of dust as he jumped, barely avoiding the bear’s ferocious fangs by a hair’s breadth. The creature, surprised by the sudden turn of events had no time to react besides trying to halt its moment, however, it was far too late.
A loud thud echoed in the forest as the beast’s head collided with the trunk of the tree, letting out a muffled, rage-filled scream through its now flattened snout.
It jumped on its hind legs, holding its maimed face as it struggled to suppress the pain, and its bloody eyes locked onto Kai’s position like an eagle stalking its prey, however, it felt something it hadn’t in a long time, fear.
In its eyes, this puny human should have been an easy kill, yet it was forced to chase him after its belly has been cut, and now it would need to heal its mangled face.
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It glared at Kai, who dashed toward it, aiming his sword straight at the wound on its stomach. The bear dodged the strike by a centimeter and sent its claws flying toward Kai’s back.
Sparks flew as he blocked the strike with the sword as he turned around, and his body trembled as he tried to push back the bear’s heavy paw, however, the beast proved to be way stronger than he was.
His boots glowed with a soft light as they dug into the earth, providing him some much-needed balance, and his sword lit up with a purplish hue as the horrible sound of metal scratching on metal rang in his ears.
Kai held the hilt and the blade, pushing it sideways in an attempt to free himself from its clutches, however, the bear was relentless and kept striking the sword faster and faster as its anger rose.
It let out an annoyed growl as the mangled flesh that was once its snout glowed with a red light, and a small wisp of fire appeared within. The flame grew larger until it was the size of a giant peanut.
Kai’s pupils widened in surprise, and he grunted as he undid the enchantment on his feet. He grunted in pain as the bear slashed at his blade, grabbing it with its claws and holding Kai as the fire in its mouth got ready to explode at any time.
He quickly dashed out from under the bear, giving up on the blade, and the fire beam that shot out of the bear’s mouth burned the ends of his hair as he barely dodged the hit.
The beast, who had used all of its body weight to lock Kai down, fell to the ground in almost the same instant it shot the fire beam, ash rose up from the scorched ground as it hit the floor.
Kai took advantage of the opportunity, and pulled out a short dagger from his waist, jumping on top of the dizzy bear and landing on its neck. He raised the dagger above its head, pointing the blade right between the ridges of its skull, plunging the dagger right into its weak point.
Blood sprayed everywhere as the beast’s defiant roar reverberated through the air. It jumped to its feet, swaying back and forth as life slowly left its eyes. It threw the bloodied Kai to the ground and chased him around in a last-ditch effort to kill him, however, it was futile.
A small river of fresh blood formed in the clearing, bathing the ground in a crimson rain formed from its life force.
Falling to the ground, it wanted to let out a last defiant roar, however, the only thing that escaped its mouth was a muffled grunt accompanied by a small surge of blood from its maimed snout.
Silence.
Kai’s rapid heartbeat accompanied by the sound of flowing blood was the only thing that could still be heard in the small clearing. He panted as he dragged his feet toward the bear, waiting patiently for the blood to finish flowing before approaching the corpse.
Another set of footsteps approached the corpse, and Kai broke into joyous laughter as he retrieved the dagger.
“Well done my boy!” the old man said as he walked closer, his wand trembling in his hand as he put it away. “You took down a second-rank beast with just your body… I never expected that!”
“And trickery,” Kai scoffed, but he couldn’t hide the pride in his voice. “Without using its anger for my own benefit I’m afraid I wouldn’t be sitting here now.”
The old man nodded as his fingers ran through the creature’s scarlet fur. “But don’t forget that we’re at a natural disadvantage when it comes to bodily strength, trickery is only natural… and besides,” he coughed lightly as he placed his hands behind his back “This is only a cub after all, so of course it would be stupid.”
“What-?” Kai coughed as the old man’s voice entered his ears, however, his shock was short-lived. His ears perked up as the sound of dragged feet reverberated through the air, and he snapped his head toward the source.
Two yellow eyes approached their location from within the darkness, letting out a low growl as its massive frame slowly revealed itself.
Crimson dark patches covered its snow-white fur, and its huge stature loomed over the duo. It bared its fangs as it cautiously approached them, walking with its head held high despite its hopeless appearance.