The tall grass began to sway violently and thousands of stalks bent as if they were being pushed aside by an invisible force and parting the way for something massive closing in on the train wreck.
Heavy thuds hit the ground, sending fresh waves of dread through the surviving soldiers nearby. Their eyes scanned the foliage as their hearts pounded heavily against their ribs.
Then suddenly, everything went silent.
Only to be shattered a moment later.
ROOOAAAR!!!
A few meters away from the train, a large beast covered in black fur appeared. Its frame was so massive that it could swallow men whole. Four flowing eyes on its head lit the entire area. Two of them were burning crimson and two others were cold and pale.
It was as though each eye was tracking the movements of several people at once.
Another roar burst from its jaws even more powerful than the last. The roar sent several soldiers stumbling backward, landing hard on the dirt and scrambling to rise.
"Run!" One of the Iron Marshals cried out.
He quickly brought out another Titan Draft and consumed it. Almost immediately, strength filled his body, and he used this opportunity to run.
Beasts weren't a strange concept to them, after all, it was the type of world they lived in now. However, it was very rare to see any beasts on land, within the borders of the First Ring. Especially a beast of this kind. Even with the appropriate equipment and MGPs, an Iron Marshal would still find some difficulty in killing a Beast as a group.
The other Iron Marshals did the same before taking cover in the coverage of the tall stalks of grass. As for Marcus, his instincts had already screamed at him, warning him of the danger.
He had long hidden within the grass, long before the beast showed itself.
Now everything was still, except for the sound of heavy breathing from the beast. From the way it was breathing, it was as if it had been running for a while, it was exhausted.
The beast didn't chase after the soldiers who fled. It didn't roar again or rampage through the wreckage. Instead, it stood motionless and its four glowing eyes scanned the field with eeriness in them, searching, as though it was looking for something… or someone.
Marcus stayed low and watched from the shadows. His breaths were shallow and his body was tense.
Then, without warning, the parchment appeared again and hovered silently before his face. But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.
A flicker of confusion ran through Marcus, but there was no time to dwell on it. A moment later, glowing words materialized above the beast's head:
Race: Vorathis Minx (F)
Level: ???
Realm: Mortal.
"Vorathis Minx?" Marcus muttered.
But he soon realized that he had made a serious mistake, because the four eyes of the beast all snapped towards his direction.
His blood ran cold and his pupils shrank as panic surged through him. Marcus moved, darting through the grass in an attempt to escape, but it was already too late.
The Vorathis Minx was already behind him. Its massive paw rose into the air, catching a glint of the moonlight in its claws. The world seemed to spin as a sense of death gripped Marcus's spine.
His instincts screamed louder than ever, to the point where the feeling felt tangible, as though a physical pressure bore down on him.
It was so fast that he could react in time.
What's happening, his thoughts raced. The beast is moving faster than I can react!
Compared to how he had perceived the world just moments ago—when the Linesman and the bandits moved sluggishly in his eyes, predictable arcs even—the Vorathis Minx was terrifyingly fast. In Marcus's eyes, it was as if he had lost that heightened awareness. Or worse, that it wasn't enough anymore.
Gritting his teeth, he summoned every ounce of will and threw himself to the side—barely dodging the beast's descending paw.
Boom!
The sheer force of the strike slammed into the ground, sending a strong enough wind that hurled Marcus several meters away. He hit the earth hard, rolled, and then spun to his knees with his rifle raised in reflex.
Rat-tat-tat!
Bullets tore through the night. The Vorathis Minx flinched slightly, using one massive paw to shield its eyes. As for the other parts of its body, the bullets bounced off harmlessly, barely even disturbing its black, matted fur.
I can't fight this thing!
Shit!
I'm going to die! Marcus's breaths became faster as panic crept into the edges of his mind, but something inside him pushed it back. His eyes narrowed and his brows lowered. What he felt didn't match the desperation of the moment.
It was something else.
Primal Rage.
Then the parchment appeared again:
[Berserker]—As a predator, your emotions matter. An angry predator becomes a fearsome beast. Use your hands to tear down your enemy. 10% increase across stats.
Effect: +10% to all stats
Cooldown: 24 hours.
Unknown to Marcus, his pupils had already turned red. A sudden rush of heat coursed through his veins, his blood practically started to boil, flooding his limbs with raw, volatile energy.
Strength: 10 (11)
Stamina: 12 (13.2)
Speed: 10 (11)
Mental: 8 (8.8)
Will: 12 (13.2)
Wilderforce: —
With this surge came a primal, overwhelming instinct—a deep, animalistic rage. Rational thought began to unravel, slowly drowned out by a hunger for violence. He hadn't realized it yet, but control was slipping from his fingers.
With a sudden roar, Marcus hurled his rifle aside and charged headlong at the Vorathis Minx with his fists clenched and his body burning with fury.
The beast didn't recoil, nor did it care. In its eyes, Marcus was a prey that was just struggling.
One threw a punch.
The other—a paw.
In a moment, the two collided.
There was no contest.
The Minx's strike dwarfed his strength, slapping him aside like a ragdoll. Marcus's body flew through the tall stalks of grass, vanishing into the dark green weeds.
Thud!
He crashed hard, skidding across the earth and dragging a trail of dirt, weeds, and soil along with him. The impact forced the air out of his lungs.
I need more strength! The thought screamed within him.
Then came another flash of the parchment—searing words into existence before his eyes.
[True Double]—The skill of predator, where one would be able to double any stat, boosting it. Once a stat has been selected, the predator cannot change the decision until the skill is out of effect and the cooldown is complete.
Cool down period: 12 hours.
As though the parchment responded to his desperation, his [True Double] activated, and immense strength filled his muscles, even making his muscles swell a bit. His frame felt denser and his stats also changed.
Strength: 10 (11*2(22)
Stamina: 12 (13.2)
Speed: 10 (11)
Mental: 8 (8.8)
Will: 12 (13.2)
Wilderforce: —
Unaware that its target was going through a change, the Vorathis Minx appeared before Marcus and bit down hard, biting clean through the tall grass and closing its fangs across Marcus.
The sound of a jaw snapping closed seemed to have sealed Marcus's defeat. The beast stood still and the grassland became quiet again. Everything seemed to have come to an end… until a muffled boom, escaped the beast's mouth.
Then the sound came again, and then a third time. Before the Vorathis Minx opened its mouth, spitting a saliva and blood-drenched Marcus out.
The beast's eyes flared and it roared in agony as blood spilled out of its mouth.
In Marcus's hands was a chunk of meat. He had punched and clawed off the meat from the cheeks of the Minx. While the beast was wailing, a familiar sensation reappeared. The blood that was on Marcus's body started to seep into his skin.
His blood and the blood of the Minx touched, causing a powerful reaction in his body. The little blood from the beast seemed to fill him with satisfaction. His frame trembled, out of ecstasy.
[Blood Bane]—Consume the blood of the powerful and use their essence to fuel yours. A Predator should enjoy the blood of its prey.
Attribute merge: — The more powerful blood consumed, the higher the increment from [Berserker] is.
Marcus read the words, barely registering them in his head. He didn't care, not now.
All he knew was the taste of power… and the craving for more.
He tightened his fist and charged at the beast once more…