Isiaka Abdulmalik woke up in the body of Quinn Smith who had just been killed by a Human-Devouring Monster. Due to his high intelligence, he quickly adapted to the situation and was currently facing the monster while trying to recall the memories of Quinn Smith, the owner of the body he had transmigrated into.
'I've to figure out something or this monster will just choke me to death.' He gritted his hands and fought tremendously, trying to loosen the grip of the monster on his neck.
But his hands were too small, fragile, and weak. How can they compare with the paws of the monster who could chew both the flesh and the bones of a human?
Isiaka Abdulmalik watched as the monster gnashed its teeth in frustration. Something was going on with the monster and it was making it not pay full attention to his opponent over here. This worked fine for the latter who had gained enlightenment just by seeing it gnash its teeth.
'The sword was able to pierce through his hide. I don't have any weapons apart from my teeth. I just pray it's sharp enough.'
He aborted the plan of pulling the paw off with his hands and instead held on tight while revealing his set of thirty-two teeth.
The night made it impossible to discern the color of the teeth but he wasn't even concerned about that, not that he could see his teeth anyway.
In a heartbeat, he chopped down onto the paw that was gripping his neck. He bit down as if his life depended on it.
Isiaka didn't just bite, he made sure his upper molar was tightly clamped to the lower one while the flesh of the monster was between them.
After getting the desired effect, he forcefully raised his head and in the process, he tore away part of the flesh of the Human-Devouring Monster.
Grrrrrh.
The monster growled loudly. The pain it was feeling from inside mixed with the one his opponent had caused.
Bam.
Its grip loosened on the neck of its opponent and Isiaka landed on the ground with a loud thud.
'To think I almost died back there.' Isiaka gulped as he touched his neck to see that it was still intact. He had landed with his butt on the floor, just some distance away from the monster.
'This monster that killed Quinn and his friends. It's more powerful than I thought. It's not an opponent that I can currently face now. I don't even know how this world works. I've to run, I've to escape.'
Isiaka Abdulmalik had suddenly come to a realization. For Quinn to have fallen in the hands of this monster, not just him but also his friends…
It's no doubt that this monster is out of their league. Even with all his knowledge, there was still something that caused him to be at a disadvantage.
The memories of Quinn were vague, not clear. And he didn't know the capacity or the limits of this new body.
'From what I learn, Quinn and his friends are Scavengers and he knew the basics of swordsmanship and some basic combat moves. But this isn't 1 v 1 or some fight against a human opponent. This is a Monster. Without supernatural abilities, fighting against monsters is akin to signing a death wish. Were Quinn and his friends not aware of this? Or were they ambushed? I don't have time to think about this.'
Isiaka wasn't just sitting all this while, he had forced himself up, turned around, and sprinted off almost immediately. He didn't even take a second look at the monster.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The monster's ear twitched to the sound of footsteps which were growing distant by the passing seconds. Its eyes widened as it realized that its prey, the meal it had saved for last, was trying to escape.
How can it let such a thing happen?
Dash.
The monster sprinted off after the human. Its speed was twice that of its prey and in less than a minute, it caught up with Isiaka who had been running for a full-blown minute.
'What kind of species is this monster? Its agility is crazily high. I can't escape if I run straight ahead. I won't even know when I'll be swatted away by its claws. Thankfully, this isn't a plain area. I'll make use of the trees to slow him down.'
Isiaka wasn't just running aimlessly, he was taking into account his environment and after well-detailed thought, he changed trajectory, heading left just a second before the monster pounced on him.
Creak.
The ground cried out from the weight of the monster. The Human-Devouring beast had leapt high and pounded on the ground, causing cracks to appear beneath it.
The monster looked around in surprise. The ground wasn't its target but the human who had just been there a moment ago.
Surprisingly, the human was alive and still running. The monster realized that its attack had failed. And now the human was running between trees which made it difficult for it to express its agility.
But that didn't bother it as it resumed chasing the human, but after three turns, it realized that the trees were causing it to be at a disadvantage. This caused it to growl angrily in frustration.
Grrrrrh.
'It's working.' Isiaka Abdulmalik said to himself but there was no excitement in his expression. 'This monster isn't highly intelligent but its intelligence isn't low either. I can feel my fatigue building up. My body is nearing its limit. I won't last longer. I've to increase my speed and escape from its domain.'
The body of Quinn Smith was just the body of an ordinary human. There was a limit to what an ordinary human could achieve. It's even a miracle that the body was able to withstand this kind of pressure it was facing now. This was due to the mind that was present in the body now. A calm and experienced mind showing no signs of panic…
Crackle.
'Eeeh…'
Isiaka's eyes widened as he heard the cracking sound of the trees.
'What's that bastard up to?' He thought as he tilted his head backward to see the monster slashing hard at the bark of a tree.
Its paws were moving faster than his eyes could see and in less than five seconds, the tree had been cut down by its claws and was falling directly towards his direction.
'Shit.. I half expected this but I didn't expect it to be so fast. The Beast is more intelligent than I thought… getting rid of the obstacles…'
Crackle…
Another tree was cut down by the claws of the Beast. Two trees were falling towards Isiaka's trajectory, directly upon him. Not only did he have to defend against the monster but also had to escape the trees which could squash him into pieces.
Screech.
Isiaka Abdulmalik suddenly stopped running. Even the monster was confused; it didn't know why its prey had stopped, but it wasn't concerned.
In a normal sense, he was supposed to continue running, at least try and increase his speed to get away from the monster, but Isiaka Abdulmalik did the opposite.
Instead of running forward, he turned around and started heading towards the monster, confusing it even more.
If the monster could speak, it could've asked its prey why he was running towards his death. But then the Beast could only grin, thinking that its prey had chosen to give up.
It leapt high into the air as it swiped out with its left paw towards the head of its prey.
The moonlight reflected its silver claws as a glint ran down them followed by the whooshing sound of the air.
Whoosh!
Flip!
Bang!
Isiaka had flipped sideways at the last moment as the claws tore through his shoulder instead of his head. The force sent him skidding two metres backward before crashing on the ground.
At that same moment, the two trees crashed on the ground with a loud thud.
Grrrh..
The monster growled in frustration after realizing that its prey was still alive. The Human-Devouring Beast had intended to claw through the head of its prey. It had thought its prey had given up; what it didn't expect was for its prey to perform such a move at that last moment.
That flip had caused the attack that was supposed to land on his head to hit his shoulder instead.
Isiaka gritted his teeth as he reached out for the sword that was right in front of him. A glint flashed past the monster's eyes as it watched its prey stagger up with one hand holding a sword and the other pressing on the injury it had sustained from the claws.
It was then the monster finally realized the reason why its prey had turned back. The human was not giving up — his target was the weapon, a sword that could harm him.
Grrrrrh..
The monster growled loudly as if mocking the human in front of him. It had the advantage both in speed and strength. The human had been injured, a mere sword couldn't change the fate of the situation.
Isiaka gnashed his teeth hard as he lowered his left hand and wrapped it on the hilt of the sword.
'That monster is more intelligent than I thought. If I had continued running, there's no doubt that I would've ended up being squashed by those trees. Even if I managed to escape from the trees… it would still end up the same way. The trees fell in an X shape, it has cut my path of advancing forward. This body can't jump over the trees in one leap… no ordinary human could achieve that. My path of escape would be cut short, I'd be forced to face the monster without any weapon to defend myself… I'd end up being a meal for this Human-Devouring bastard..' He clenched his hands tightly as he stared at the Beast which stared back at him.
'Although my decision to turn back was a risky one, it actually paid off. Due to this nimble body, I was able to flip in the air and luckily I also landed beside the sword which was swatted away previously by the Monster. I'm no longer unarmed and the sweetest part of it is that my injury has started healing… This cheat is one of the best.'
Isiaka Abdulmalik had gambled on his healing ability to take that risky move. He didn't know how long it'd take for the effect to kick in but surprisingly, it didn't take long.
Under the gaze of the crimson moon, the two silhouettes could now see each other very well.
The monster was twice taller than the human. It had black fur and a hunched back. It was standing on just its hind limbs while its forelimbs were clasped together. On each limb were four silver claws which formed an X shape.
The monster had a short tail which seemed to spurt out of its silver spine. Its eyes were red and shiny. It didn't have fangs, instead, it had razor-sharp teeth — teeth that could tear away the flesh of human beings. Its color was a mixture of black and silver and its fur was dyed with a mixture of red and black blood .
"It looks more like a cat. A cat that has evolved." Isiaka said slowly after scrutinizing the Monster. He pressed hard on his sword once again as he stood on full alert.
'Cats are known for their agility. No wonder the speed of this monster is inhumane. I've to be careful or I would end up like Quinn. If not for the will of Eric and Erica holding it back, I wouldn't have survived to this extent. Maybe I should just take advantage of that.'
"Eric… Erica. I know you're in there… Don't let your death be in vain. Exert him with everything you've got left." Isiaka screamed out loudly, his voice travelling through the forest. He was looking for an opportunity, a moment of distraction and he was hoping the twins could help him with that.
Growl.
The monster growled loudly as if understanding what its prey was saying. Its growl this time was different from the rest as even the trees in the distance shook due to the ferocious pressure.
Boom!
The monster moved. It dashed towards Isiaka at monstrous speed…
'Fuck. That didn't work. I can't win against this monster if we are to clash head on.'
The human strained his eyes as he got ready for the attack that would determine everything.
The attack that would determine whether he was going to live or not.
Flash.
He saw it, a silver glint reflected by the crimson moon, and he quickly placed his sword in that direction.
Clang..
Sparks flew as claws clashed against the blade. The force of the clash was more than what Quinn's body could handle and he was forced back by ten steps.
He had lost his balance, the grip on his sword had loosened and the force was still pushing him backward.
The Cat-like monster didn't waste any time as it moved again, following its prey up in quick succession. Its left paw was raised up, the four silver claws reflecting under the crimson moon waiting to descend on the head of the human, slicing him into four different parts.