"Swish!"
"Damn it!"
With another sharp sound cutting through the air, I narrowly dodged a massive boulder thrown by Monkey No. 1 before swiftly raising my sword to block the claws of Monkey 3.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
It slashed at me repeatedly with terrifying speed, but I managed to deflect every strike. Then, at last, I saw the opening I had been waiting for.
"Thud!"
I kicked the beast hard in the stomach, forcing it back for only a fraction of a second.
But that was all I needed.
I poured mana into my weapon and reshaped the sword once more—this time into a thin, vertical shaft with a sharpened tip.
A spear.
Without wasting another thought, my body moved on instinct as I thrust straight toward the monster's chest.
"Grab!"
Just before the spear could pierce it, the beast caught the tip with both hands.
Blood poured from its palms as its body trembled from trying to resist my strength.
But—
"AAAAAH!"
I roared at the top of my lungs.
Why did I scream like an idiot?
I had no idea.
And right now, it didn't matter.
I reinforced my body with mana again and pushed forward with everything I had.
This time—
A surge of danger shot through me.
Even so, I couldn't let this chance slip away.
I ignored my instincts as they screamed at me to dodge the threat coming from behind.
Gripping the spear with both hands, I drove it forward with all my strength.
Joy flashed through me the moment I saw it pierce through the monster.
"Another monkey was de"
My thought never finished.
Something slammed into my body and sent me flying into a nearby tree.
"Bam!"
I spat blood as the impact rattled my internal organs.
Raising my head with difficulty, I saw Monkey No. 1 glaring at me with furious eyes as savage red mana began pouring from its body.
"The power of friendship?" I thought while warm blood dripped from my lips before I spat it out again.
I focused myself and reinforced my body once more.
I staggered when I stood, but quickly regained my balance.
"Huff…"
I couldn't give it any time.
I had to kill it now.
I gripped the spear in my right hand while pulling out the pistol with my left.
I raised it as I charged toward the beast, which was already rushing at me.
"Bang!"
I fired two more shots.
"Clang!"
With a metallic sound, the bullets were swatted aside by its claws.
I didn't care.
I threw the pistol away, gathered my thoughts, and reshaped the ring's weapon once more.
This time, it became a short mace covered in sharp metal spikes.
"The perfect form."
That ring was incredibly useful.
No—
I was certain this battle would have been far harder without it.
The distance between us shrank rapidly.
Two meters.
One meter.
Ten centimeters.
The beast swung its claw the instant it was only one step away.
"Swish!"
Its claws tore through nothing but air as I lowered my body beneath the strike.
Before it could even react—
"Crack!"
I smashed the mace into its skull with all my strength.
"I think I can see birds circling its head."
That was the absurd thought that crossed my mind as the monster staggered backward, clutching its head.
Its glowing red eyes were unfocused and confused.
"Chance."
I wasn't stupid.
I instantly transformed the mace back into a sword.
"Swish!"
Its head flew into the air, its eyes still spinning in confusion.
"Victory…"
I collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
What kind of lunatic thought that fight was easy?
Every move I made had drained nearly sixty percent of my reserves.
I panted heavily.
One slower step.
One delayed movement.
That was all it would have taken for me to die.
I tore off the scarf around my face and greedily inhaled deep breaths of fresh air.
"Haaah… huff…"
I lay on the grass for a few moments before forcing myself back to my feet.
"I need to move."
My senses had not failed me.
I could feel a terrifying monster approaching this area.
It was only minutes away.
"But before I run…"
I hurried toward the corpses of the monkeys.
Using the black blade I had created from the ring, I cut them open and searched for mana hearts.
"Empty."
I rushed to the second monkey, a trace of sadness appearing on my face.
"Empty."
I pierced its chest as well.
Nothing.
"Damn."
Cursing my luck, I moved to the third corpse and prayed Lady Luck would smile on me.
But apparently, this was not my day.
It was empty too.
My disappointment vanished like the wind when my instincts suddenly screamed at me to run.
I bolted down one of the paths, reinforcing my body with mana as I sprinted with everything I had.
Cold sweat ran across my face, while a terrified grin stretched across my lips.
"Damn…"
I glanced back for only a moment and saw the reason for my fear.
Its enormous body was covered in blue, armor-like hide.
A white bony shell protected its massive head, and from its broad nose extended a long, deadly horn.
A rhinoceros.
Its black eyes burned with wild madness as they stared at me.
Then its gaze shifted toward the monkey corpses, and it seemed to—
No.
I had no idea what happened next.
By then, I had already put a great distance between us.
I kept running for ten full minutes just to save my life.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
"Huff… huff…"
I sat on the edge of a small cave wall I had found while fleeing.
Resting there, I began recovering both my stamina and mana.
Restoring mana inside the rift was surprisingly easy.
I closed my eyes and focused, slowly drawing mana into my body before guiding it into my heart.
I just hoped no idiot would ask why I didn't simply absorb more mana to increase my capacity.
Ignoring the strange thoughts in my head, I continued recovering.
After some time—
"Hah…"
I stretched my body and stood up.
I had returned to peak condition.
Checking the time again, I estimated that around forty minutes had passed since I entered.
That meant I had four hours left before the dense mana inside the rift would begin damaging my body.
I inspected my equipment, made sure everything was ready, and stepped out of the cave.
"I need to become stronger."
"And I'm hunting that rhinoceros before I leave."
Those were my thoughts as I moved forward.
A grin returned to my face.
I didn't know when it happened—
But I had become addicted to battle.
"Hehe."