It was a wolf.
But not just any wolf.
No... it was more like a demon, as heavy as a bull, with claws the size of daggers and teeth so sharp they looked like needles.
It was a mana beast, and one of the worst kind: a corrupted mana beast.
Mana beasts weren’t naturally vile creatures, but when corrupted, they beca the embodint of demons on earth, capable of little more than killing and killing.
Why on earth was a beast like that there?
The young warrior felt his heart leap into his throat, his legs trembling beneath him.
If it were his father standing there, a single slash would have been enough to solve the problem.
But he wasn’t his father.
He was just a foolish, impulsive young man.
He tried to grab his sword, but before his hand could even reach the hilt, the beast bit down.
Blood spurted through the air and his body convulsed, everything above his chest torn away by the creature’s bite.
The beast was second-stage, just like him, so he might have had a chance to fight if he’d been prepared.
Maybe he could even have fled, using his companions as bait, since the beast would go after the easier prey first.
Unfortunately, fear overca him, and he couldn’t even react.
That was the difference between a trained, experienced soldier and a young noble who had never seen the world.
The other four froze in terror, their eyes wide.
They were older and had seen a lot, but a corrupted mana beast? No.
The wolf’s jaws snapped open, letting out a satisfied growl, like the snarl of a demon co to drag them into the depths of hell.
The beast paused for a mont, writhing, and then lunged forward with its jaws wide open.
Its teeth closed around the torso of another of the four n, not stopping until they t at the center.
His legs fell to one side of its jaws. His head, shoulders, and arms, to the other.
A single bite, and there wasn’t much left to bury.
"R-run! Everyone in a different direction!"
The remaining three finally reacted, bolting in desperation.
Whatever that thing was, they were fucked, too fucked for any other option.
The beast howled, its body trembling with excitent, lunging after the fattest one first.
A scream filled with pain echoed. With its front paws, it struck him in the back, its claws tearing through the flesh with ease; its weight crushing him against the ground with a dull thud.
It wasn’t killing out of hunger. It was having fun.
Finishing off the fat one, the wolf raised its snout, sensing the scent of the other two, before charging at the maximum speed a second-stage mana beast could reach.
"Shit..." One of the adventurers gasped, filled with terror, as another scream echoed behind him.
The chubby one had died, and now another.
Which ant he was the last one.
He ran with everything he had, channeling every drop of aura into his legs. Behind him, heavy footsteps echoed closer and closer, shaking the ground.
When he finally felt the beast’s hot breath on his back, he knew it: it was over.
He closed his eyes and threw himself forward.
The beast leaped forward as well, its jaws opening wide, ready to devour its prey.
’Damn... why does it have to end like this?’
The man had barely finished the thought when he heard a different sound.
Not the sound of fangs tearing flesh, but the clang of steel against teeth.
When he opened his eyes and turned, there was a man between him and the beast, sword in hand, the blade sunk between the wolf’s teeth.
"Captain Doran!"
Another soldier appeared, freezing the mont he saw the wolf.
"Get back!" Doran roared, and with a surge of superhuman strength, he hurled the wolf backward.
His body was engulfed in a fiery red, his attribute points rising rapidly.
The wolf stopped a few ters away, growled, and then charged again.
"Shit..." Doran grunted as the beast passed him, biting at empty air.
With no room to use his sword, he punched, his fist crashing down on the beast’s skull with full force.
A crash echoed and the wolf staggered away, slamming into a tree. It was clearly dazed, its vision spinning as its brain rattled inside its head.
Doran already possessed very high Strength compared to his other base attributes, just slightly above Ethan’s Strength, despite his total base attributes being much lower.
With the Burning Blood body-enhancing technique, that Strength multiplied even further, reaching one hundred and thirty.
That sight brought imdiate shock to the man on the ground.
That guy had nearly knocked out that cruel beast with a single punch!
He was saved! Saved!
Unfortunately, he didn’t know that Doran didn’t share the sa excitent.
"Call for the Lord." He growled at the guards accompanying him, gripping his sword firmly.
The beast had already recovered, and from now on, it would no longer treat Doran as just another easy prey. That made him anxious.
Mana beasts were intelligent and naturally far more powerful than humans. If that one fought carefully, he would be dead.
The wolf circled Doran with sharp eyes, calmly sizing him up.
Doran wasn’t a sheep; he was like the beast, a predator, or a shepherd, to be more precise, and the beast realized this quickly.
"I received a grand gift from my lord this morning, and I won’t waste it on a pointless death, so don’t think you’ll defeat easily, foul beast!" Doran roared, even though he knew a beast of such a low stage wouldn’t understand human speech.
The wolf growled in irritation and then turned away, casting one last glance, as if warning that it would return.
"Ah... shit." Doran gave a bitter laugh, sheathed his sword, and turned to the man sitting on the ground behind him.
About twenty-six years old, he had a well-grood beard, dark eyes, and an expression still filled with terror.
"Co with . You have much to report to my lord," Doran said coldly.
That beast couldn’t be allowed to roam freely around Goldenveil. It needed to be killed.
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