Dravin rushed through the primordial jungle like a vengeful shadow. His clothes fluttered wildly as he dashed through the dense alien forest with a frightening speed. Trees and strange, glowing fungi blurred into a continuous streak of color at the edges of his vision. He pushed his Rank 4 body to its limits, his powerful legs propelling him forward in explosive bursts.
Despite his incredible speed, his face was extremely dark. The cause of his anger, a tiny, furry creature no bigger than his fist, was somehow keeping just ahead of him.
The speed of the little thief was utterly absurd. It weaved through the thick grass and roots with an agility that defied its small size, its form a brown-and-grey blur that was infuriatingly difficult to track.
He had been chasing the little crystal-snatcher for ten minutes straight!
Finally, just as Dravin was contemplating whether he should just give up, the little thief slowed down. Up ahead, nestled in the side of a large, moss-covered rock formation, the dark, secluded entrance of a cave appeared within his line of sight.
The little creature, seeming to have noticed Dravin closing in, stopped at the mouth of the cave. It glanced back at him, the grey dimensional crystal still held firmly in its mouth, and then pointed a tiny paw at the cave entrance, letting out a few low, insistent chirps.
Dravin skidded to a halt a hundred meters from the cave, his cleaver held firmly.
He frowned, his anger faded slightly to be replaced by suspicion. He stared at the little thief, then at the dark entrance of the cave, pondering what its intentions were.
Was this a trap? Was it leading him into the den of a much larger, more dangerous creature?
He didn't know what other dangers could be lurking inside that darkness, and it most certainly wasn't worth risking his life over a single, low-quality Rank 2 dimensional crystal.
As he hesitated, he focused his senses on the cave. He did feel a slight sense of danger emanating from within. However, it wasn't the kind of overwhelming, life-threatening aura of certain death.
Seeing his hesitation, the little thief started to jump up and down impatiently, its tiny paws thumping on the ground as it pointed frantically at the cave again, as though telling him to hurry up and enter.
"Alright, alright! I'm going!" Dravin grumbled, his anger fading slightly in the face of the creature's strange, almost comical urgency.
He gripped the handle of his cleaver tightly.
He stepped forward, his leisurely walk quickly transitioning into a silent stride as he headed towards the secluded cave.
The entrance was a dark, jagged opening in the rock face. As he stepped inside, the air immediately grew cooler and damper. The cave was slightly dark, but it wasn't pitch-black. A few natural holes in the rocky ceiling above allowed the three-mooned light to filter down in pale, silvery beams, illuminating the space with an eerie glow.
And it was in one of those beams of light that he saw it. Growing from a small patch of unnaturally fertile-looking soil was a single, delicate plant. It was an orchid, but its petals were not of any normal color. They were crafted from a substance that looked like solidified moonlight, giving off a soft, gentle, illuminating glow, reminiscent of the bioluminescent fish that live in the deepest, darkest trenches of the sea.
"A Moonlit Jade Orchid," Dravin breathed, his eyes wide with shock.
His face changed slightly. While this herb wasn't as game-changing as the Physique Strengthening Fruit, he knew from his predecessor's memories that it was an incredibly rare and valuable ingredient. It was the primary component in crafting several high-level potions that could rapidly replenish one's void energy and even temporarily boost one's affinity for energy absorption. For any Super Soldier, it was a priceless treasure.
His gaze swept around the cave, searching for the guardian of this precious herb. His eyes landed on a massive, hulking form sleeping in the darkest corner of the cave. It was a bear-like monster, its fur a shimmering silver, its back broad and covered in thick, corded muscle. Even in sleep, its sheer presence was immense.
Dravin's blood ran cold. 'A Tyrant Silverback Bear!'
It was an actual Rank 3 dimensional beast, and a notoriously difficult one at that. It was famous for one thing: its nigh-impenetrable defense. Its silver hide was said to be as tough as a high-grade alloy, a defense that could easily rival that of a normal Rank 4 primitive creature.
At the same realm, the Tyrant Silverback Bear was considered almost invincible, as it was nearly impossible for its peers to break through its skin.
At that moment, as if sensing the intrusion into its domain, the Tyrant Silverback Bear's nose twitched. It took a deep, snuffling breath, its nostrils flaring as it caught Dravin's scent.
"Shit!"
There was no time for a plan, no time for hesitation. This was a beast that could not be fought conventionally.
Without a second thought, Dravin instantly activated his `Basic Cleaver Technique` to its absolute highest level. His muscles trembled and bulged as his cells vibrated at a high frequency.
His heart beat like a war drum, a frantic thump-thump-thump that pumped super-oxygenated blood violently through his body. He poured every ounce of his Rank 4 power and every shred of his insight into a single, ultimate attack.
"Whoosh!"
His body transformed into a streaking afterimage. He tore through the twenty meters separating him from the beast in less than a second, his cleaver held high, aimed for the one spot where even the toughest of creatures was vulnerable: the neck.
Sensing the imminent, lethal danger, the beast's eyes snapped open. They were not filled with drowsiness, but with a pure, instinctual rage. An enraged growl ripped from its throat as it pushed its reaction speed to the absolute limit. It didn't have time to stand or swipe; it only had time to activate its innate ability: Silver Skin.
In the instant before Dravin's blade made contact, the beast's entire body began to glow, its fur hardening and taking on the metallic, indestructible sheen of polished silver.
However, it had still underestimated the sheer, explosive power of Dravin's attack.
With the raw strength of a Rank 4 Super Soldier, further amplified by the 50% damage boost from his Level 7 cleaver art, Dravin's blade was a weapon of terrifying destruction. It sliced through the air, and for a moment, it cut through the hardened silver skin of the beast's neck.
But then, with a horrifying, grinding screech of metal on bone, the blade stopped. It had sliced through the hide, through the thick layers of muscle and sinew, but it had been halted halfway through, unable to sever the beast's spine.
"What?" Dravin's mind reeled in shock.
Even with his full power, a strength that was more than a match for an average Rank 4, he couldn't slice clean through a Rank 3 beast's neck? This sort of defense was already on par with a Rank 5 dimensional creature!
"ROOOOAR!"
The beast let out a roar of pure agony and rage. The pain had fully awakened it, and its eyes burned with a murderous light.
It swiped a massive, clawed paw at Dravin, the air whistling as five dagger-like claws aimed to disembowel him.
Knowing his blade was stuck, Dravin made a split-second decision. He abandoned his weapon, letting go of the handle as he flashed to the side, narrowly dodging the deadly swipe.
"Bang!"
The beast's claws raked against the cave wall, sending a shower of sparks and stone fragments flying.
The enraged and wounded beast, with Dravin's cleaver still embedded in its neck, began a relentless pursuit.
Dravin, now unarmed, could only dodge, his superior speed his only advantage. He led the beast on a frantic chase around the cave, letting its own rage and grievous wound become his greatest allies.
With every pained roar, with every clumsy, furious swipe, more and more of its lifeblood poured from the gash in its neck, painting the cave floor a dark, glistening crimson. Eventually, its movements grew sluggish, its roars weaker.
After a long, tense minute, the massive beast staggered, its eyes glazed over, and it dropped to the ground with a final, earth-shaking thud.
Dead.
Dravin stood panting at the far end of the cave, not daring to approach. He waited, his eyes locked on the still form, until a familiar, welcome notification chimed in his mind.
[Rank 3 Primitive Monster: Tyrant Silverback Bear slain.]
[Dimensional Crystal detected within the corpse.]