Jayden walked up to the Razorback with a wicked grin. The beast saw Jayden approaching and was even more terrified, but it didn't run. It was as though it was too traumatized to even move.
Jayden stood in front of the beast. Its black eyes were wide, trembling, its tusks glinting under the pale moonlight. Unlike the others, it hadn't charged. It hadn't moved. It just froze, paralyzed by the sight of what Jayden had done to its comrades.
Blood painted the earth. The ground was cracked and torn. Twenty-four D-Rank beasts, slaughtered in one night. By a single teenage boy.
What could be more traumatizing than that?
Jayden's muscles loosened, the dense weight of the Earth Smasher Form peeling away as he willed it to deactivate. The black hair retreated, his massive body shrank, and the armored skin lted back into flesh.
By the ti he stood in his normal form again, only his steady breathing and blood sars across his arms and neck remained as proof of the battle.
He stepped forward, slow and deliberate, his shadow stretching long and sharp under the moonlight. The Razorback shrank back, claws scraping against the dirt. Its breathing was ragged, almost… human.
Jayden tilted his head and smirked.
"Wise of you not to run," he said, voice low, calm, deadly. "For that… I'll spare your life. Go,"
The beast blinked, shuddering as if it understood him. And then, in a desperate bid for survival, it bolted… turning with explosive speed, tusks flashing, muscles rippling as it dashed toward the dark safety of the trees.
Jayden sighed, half amused. But then he tilted and his grin widened.
"On second thought…"
He lifted his hand, and the air bent as his telekinesis flared towards the fleeing beast. Invisible chains wrapped around the Razorback mid-stride.
It froze, suspended in the clearing, limbs flailing uselessly, claws tearing at nothing. Its eyes widened in terror as it realized it couldn't move.
Jayden's fingers curled into a fist. "I still need that exp." His smirk deepened, eyes glowing faintly with a wicked glint. "So… my apologies, but it's nothing personal."
And then, he flicked his wrist.
CRACK.
The Razorback's neck twisted grotesquely, the sound slicing through the silence like a snapping tree branch. Its body slumped instantly, lifeless, crashing to the ground with a thud that shook the dirt.
A glowing notification burned across Jayden's vision:
[ 40 Exp received]
[Exp: 4000/5000]
He let out a long exhale, his chest rising and falling heavily. The fight had drained him more than he wanted to admit. Earth Smasher hybrid form, Size Manipulation, and Matter Absorption… stacking them all at once had pushed his stamina to its limit.
He dragged his feet toward the pile of corpses, sweat dampening his shirtless skin, and picked up his discarded jacket and shirt. Dusting them off casually, he slid them back on, tugging the collar back into place.
Luna's voice purred in his mind, smooth and amused. [That was incredible! Brutal. rciless. I enjoyed every mont of it, Jayden]
Jayden chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced around at the battlefield. "Glad I put on a good show for you, Luna."
[That Razorback] Luna continued, her tone laced with satisfaction. [How you gave it hope, then crushed it without hesitation. That is the mark of a true BeastLord] she muttered with conviction. [rcy is weakness. Anyone who dares challenge you must be broken]
Jayden's lips curled into a crooked smile. "You're reading too much into it. I just needed the exp."
[Say whatever you want, Jayden] Luna chuckled. [But I still think you would make a great leader. Cold, ruthless and unforgiving]
Jayden couldn't help but laugh under his breath as his eyes swept over the carnage. Mangled corpses. Shattered bones. Claws and tusks scattered across the clearing. It looked like a slaughterhouse, and yet… none of it fazed him anymore.
But on the other hand, he had gone too far. Because now, the beast corpses were scrambled and basically inedible. He couldn't sell them.
With a sigh, he knelt by the nearest body and pressed his hand against its chest. The system added the beast's crystal into his inventory. And it did so with the rest of the corpses too.
But he absorbed that of the wolverine stalkers, using them to increase the rank bar of his Wolverine Stalker genes.
[Wolverine Stalker (D-Rank):
*Crystals required for next rank: 13/15]
Jayden exhaled and closed the tab. He gave the bloody clearing one last glance, then turned his back and walked away as though nothing had happened.
His footsteps were steady, deliberate. His breathing, calm. The forest around him was dead quiet, every living creature having fled from the massacre.
[So, more hunting] Luna asked softly.
Jayden shook his head. "No, I think that's enough for today," he replied with a sigh. "Besides I'm exhausted."
[Yeah, you did push yourself tonight] Luna said. [Stacking those abilities all at once should have consud your stamina completely. Heck, I'm still surprised you haven't collapsed yet]
Jayden smirked faintly. "Guess I'm tougher than I look."
The trees thinned as he stepped toward the dirt road cutting across the edge of the forest. The moonlight glimred faintly off his sweat. For the first ti tonight, he let his body relax. His hand slipped into his inventory and pulled out the sleek hoverbike summoning glove.
He slid it on, flexing his fingers. With a pulse of blue light, his hoverbike roared into existence, sleek and predatory like a machine made for a king. The engines humd low, whispering power.
As Jayden swung a leg over the seat, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Hey, Luna. About this BeastLord evolution thing… Do I eventually get the ability to control beasts? Y'know, like ta them?"
[Yes] she replied instantly. [When the system deems you ready, you'll be able to bend beasts to your will. Command them. Shape them into your army. They'll live and die for you, Jayden]
His grin widened as he gripped the handles, engines glowing brighter beneath him. "Well that should be fun. Can't wait."
The bike lifted smoothly off the ground, hovering in place. He revved it once, then tilted forward, the machine roaring as it carried him into the night sky.
The forest behind him was silent, scarred, blood-soaked, and broken. But for Jayden, it was just another hunt.
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