Dain did not think. He ducked, rolled forward, and swung his sword in one clean motion.
Whoosh!
Screech!
The Feral Monster let out a guttural cry and collapsed to the ground. Its belly was split open, blood gushing out like a broken dam.
However, Dain had no time to rejoice as another Feral Monster lunged at him.
He moved back, evading the sharp claws of the creature, and raised his sword to block its sneak attack.
Twisting his body to the right, he swung his sword, severing the monster's head in a single stroke.
In the previous battle, Dain's Soul Construct had already analyzed the weaknesses of the Rat-like Feral Monsters and developed an effective combat strategy.
Now, they were like fish on the chopping block.
Bang!
Dain jumped to the side and performed a perfect acrobatic maneuver, narrowly dodging another deadly attack.
When he landed, he was right before another monster, plunging his sword deep into its skull.
In less than a minute, Dain had slain five creatures surrounding him. But he knew this was only the beginning.
Standing before him was a massive Feral Monster—its body resembled that of a hippo, but with tiger-like fur. Its six legs stomped against the ground, leaving deep cracks in the earth.
It opened its wide mouth, ready to snap Dain in two.
[Studying…]
Dain swiftly moved to the side, evading the monstrous jaws. He turned and swung his sword.
Clang!
His blade bounced off the creature's thick hide, leaving no mark.
'Huh?!'
Dain's eyes widened in disbelief.
'What a strong defense!' he thought, his heart pounding against his chest. A sense of unease gripped him.
How was he supposed to kill something his weapon couldn't pierce?
The Hippo-like Feral Monster gave him no time to strategize, charging at him once more.
He dodged, only to be met by a Rat-like Feral Monster attacking from the side.
Reacting quickly, he raised his sword to defend himself.
Bang!
The creature's tail slammed into his blade, sending him stumbling backward. The force numbed his hands, nearly making him drop his weapon, but he gritted his teeth and held on tightly.
He glanced at his Soul Construct, noticing that it was still analyzing the Hippo-like Monster.
'I need to avoid that thing.'
With that thought, he charged toward the Rat-like Monster's flank.
Bang! Bang!
His sword lashed out like a viper, striking the creature's weaknesses with deadly precision.
Whenever the Hippo-like Monster attempted to ambush him, he dodged and maneuvered the battle toward the smaller foes.
At first, his tactic worked. But slowly, the monsters adapted. They started coordinating their attacks.
Bang!
Dain was sent flying.
A deep crack appeared on his Soul Construct. His vision blurred, his head spinning. He bit his tongue, the sharp pain pulling him back to clarity.
With the two monsters working together, it was becoming increasingly difficult to evade them.
As his dizziness faded, his eyes widened in alarm.
A deadly tail strike was coming right at him!
He rolled to the side just in time.
Bang!
The tail smashed into the ground, barely missing him.
To his left, the Hippo-like Feral Monster was charging at full speed, ready to crush him to a pulp.
[Analyzing…]
[Three Weaknesses Found]
A bright smile spread across Dain's face.
He jumped to the side and swung his sword at the monster's joint.
Clang!
Once again, his sword bounced off. But this time, he wasn't discouraged.
Instead, he dodged the Rat-like Monster's attack and swiftly killed three more of them.
Now, only a handful of Rat-like Feral Monsters remained.
Still, they fought with savage ferocity.
[Reprogramming…]
[New Battle Strategy Created.]
Instantly, a flood of new information appeared in Dain's mind.
It detailed:
All the Hippo-like Monster's weaknesses.
The perfect counters to each of their attacks.
How to exploit both monsters' weaknesses together for a swift victory.
Now that his Soul Construct had finished its analysis, it was his turn to act.
A Hippo-like Feral Monster charged from behind.
Previously, Dain would have struggled to evade its attack. But now, things were different.
Sidestepping to the left, he let the monster's charge miss by an inch, then swung his sword at its joint.
Bang!
This time, the blade cut through.
The monster let out a guttural scream, its massive frame collapsing. It slid several meters, kicking up dust and debris.
Seeing this, Dain's confidence soared.
He rushed toward the injured monster and aimed for its second weakness—its neck.
Bang!
His sword sliced through cleanly.
Its head fell to the ground.
Roar!
The remaining monsters howled in fury at the death of their kin.
They charged at him.
Dain watched them come, his expression unwavering.
Then, he charged forward to meet them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Like a god of death, Dain moved swiftly, his sword dancing through the battlefield with lethal elegance.
No matter how the monsters tried to overwhelm him with numbers.
He was always one step ahead.
One by one, they fell.
Their heads severed from their bodies.
With their weaknesses laid bare and their movements predicted, there was only one fate left for them—
Dain's cold, merciless sword.
Bang!
Dain severed the head of the last monster.
He collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
He had slain over fifty Feral Monsters.
Something that had never been done before.
Though he wasn't aware of it yet…
He had accomplished the impossible.
He lay there, drenched in sweat, his body aching but victorious.
*****