The Flame That Devours the Beast

I didn't even need to think about it. While the stat enhancement was tempting, the completely unknown value called Luck definitely sparked my curiosity. But the minor increase felt too weak. Even if it offered a massive boost, I'd still be torn. Hmm... In the end, I chose option three. Unlocking a latent skill.

I was curious what the latent skill even was, and I didn't want to create unnecessary variables by picking number one. The message appeared immediately.

'Another choice... Rock Barrier and Flame Explosion make sense, but what the hell is Assassin's Prayer?'

'Oh... I had something like this latent inside me?'

But my choice was made without hesitation. Number three.

The moment I made my selection, the werewolf vanished from my sight. The creature that had been sitting with me in peaceful conversation just moments ago was gone. In its place stood a golden werewolf radiating pure bloodlust. It was like someone had flipped a switch and turned on the lights.

'So this is its real job, huh?'

If the opponent was going all out, it was only right that I did the same. I closed my eyes and narrowed my senses as tightly as possible around me, increasing their density. This way, even attacks beyond my normal perception would trigger an instinctive reaction first. Like how your body jerks away the instant you touch a hot pan, my body would respond the moment my senses registered the threat.

Of course, it would be useless against an opponent whose speed far exceeded what I could dodge.

Shimmer—

Something alien invaded the dense wave of energy I'd concentrated around my body. My body reacted even faster than my thoughts. I bent my waist backward with a flexibility I didn't know I possessed, narrowly avoiding the werewolf's strike.

Creak—

Slash—!

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

'Damn it!'

I thought I'd dodged, but I'd overlooked those razor-sharp claws. The fifteen-centimeter-long talons that hadn't been visible while we were sitting together raked deeply across my torso. But the damage was only to my bone armor. The main body remained completely unharmed. The armor with 120 defense was finally doing its job properly.

"Grrrrr—"

'Look at this bastard. Its eyes have completely rolled over.'

It had landed a successful hit, but seeing me still standing tall seemed to piss it off. Its bloodshot eyes, so red the veins looked ready to burst, glared at me with murderous intent.

Fwoosh—

While meeting the ferocious werewolf's gaze, I crouched low, a fireball blazing in my left hand and a dagger gripped tightly in my right.

'Come at me, you wooden box. I'll burn you to ashes—'

The instant the words left me, the werewolf leaped from its spot. It must have jumped at least fifteen meters high.

'Uh... this is a bit much.'

Despite my bold provocation, I threw myself sideways without the slightest hesitation.

KWAAAAANG—!!

Boom—!

'Whistle— Even getting grazed by that would turn me into dust.'

It had simply landed where I had been standing and slammed its fist down, yet it created a crater several meters wide. If that attack had hit me, armor or not, I'd have been crushed into crumbs like a cookie.

The fireball I'd prepared was canceled when I dodged, but I managed to instinctively detonate one bomb. The werewolf seemed lightly shaken by the explosion and shook its head for a moment.

'So that's the limit of my counterattacks, huh.'

I had to detonate the bombs while dodging the ones I'd prepared in advance. I couldn't even think about swinging the dagger in my other hand. It was that fast and powerful. It clearly surpassed the 'Tooth' monster in every way. Its movements operated on an entirely different level from that brutish creature.

The space here was dozens of times wider than the canyon where I'd fought the orcs, so Contaminated Breath probably wouldn't be very effective. As for Stealth—

I used my most specialized skill anyway. But the creature's nose twitched violently, and its head slowly turned in the exact direction I'd moved.

Its sense of smell was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arguably the best among all known monsters. Simple visual disruption through stealth wouldn't let me escape its radar. Still, using the skill wasn't completely meaningless. Just like with the orc warrior, there was a subtle change in its movements.

The beast that had been crouched low with its hands on the ground, ready to charge, showed a brief moment of hesitation. It clearly needed a certain amount of time to pinpoint my exact location. So I would use that tiny gap to strike and retreat.

Tadadak—

For once, the fireball flew exactly where I'd aimed, but the werewolf easily dodged it and steadily closed the distance. It must have realized that approaching me would trigger an explosion. Yet it showed no fear whatsoever, apparently judging my attacks as something it could endure.

After casually tanking several fireballs and bombs with its body, it leaped high into the air again using the same jumping attack from before and came crashing down.

KWANG—!

Once. Then KWAKWANG!! again. Every time it leaped and struck the ground, the force of its downward strikes grew even stronger.

'Ugh... does this thing have infinite stamina?'

Now the shockwaves it created were strong enough that I could feel them even while dodging. I had about two-thirds of my bombs left. But this wasn't the time to hold back. I needed to create split-second openings with stealth and bombs so I could land Flame Slash with my dagger.

Awooooooo!!

The creature leaped again, this time predicting where I would move and landing there in advance.

'Fine. I'm sick of just running away too!'

Perperperpeng!!

When far more bombs than before detonated at once, I felt the werewolf flinch in surprise. At the same time, I charged through the thick smoke using Reckless Charge and slashed my dagger with lightning speed.

Swish—

The tip of the dagger caught the werewolf's chin, leaving a tiny wound so small it was barely visible. But that was enough.

A small, transparent flame the size of a pinky finger floated above the werewolf's shoulder. It probably couldn't see the mark I'd left behind.

"Prrrk—"

The werewolf shook its head violently. Thick drool dripped from its mouth. I suddenly wondered— was Tania currently watching herself from an objective perspective? Or had she completely merged with the werewolf, lost in excitement?

Grrrrr...

Every time it took damage from the bombs, its movements grew faster, but the openings in its defense increased as well.

'I'm somehow managing to dodge, but I'm about to get caught. This is bad.'

My bone armor was already in tatters from the attacks I'd taken while evading. Since the armor was fused with my body, its destruction meant a direct loss of stamina.

"Krrraaang—!"

'—!'

Its massive head suddenly appeared right in front of me. I'd definitely created distance, hadn't I? Did it have some hidden trump card?

'Shit!'

For a brief moment, I completely forgot that this monster was actually the mysterious mimic in transformed form.

Crunch—!

One of my arms, caught in its grip, was twisted behind my back and ripped off without much resistance. The werewolf slammed the severed arm onto the ground, then stomped on it hard, crushing it to pieces.

'You didn't have to grind it into powder. That's a little hurtful.'

"Awoooooooo—!!"

The werewolf sat back on its haunches and howled. We'd been fighting fiercely this whole time, yet the creature didn't look tired at all. The only positive was that it had completely lost its reason, making its movements larger and more predictable.

If not for the agility boost from my bone armor and the Rune of Swiftness, I would've already been reduced to the bone fragments scattered across the floor.

'Hoo... One last shot.'

But this was the limit. The creature was adapting to my combat style at an alarming rate. It was time to settle this.

I had accumulated four Flame Marks on it. If I could just land one more—

Whoosh—

It leaped into the air again.

'Does that damn jumping skill have no cooldown?'

Up until now, I'd only been dodging its leap attacks. But this time, I was the one charging straight toward it.

Whiiiiiing—

Perperperperpeng—!

My last remaining Skeleton Bombs and Fireballs exploded simultaneously around the werewolf at the peak of its jump. The mimic and I burst through the gray smoke and faced each other.

'Hey, just let me hit you once!'

Thud—!

'Fuck...'

I'd clearly attacked first, but I was the one who got hit. Its arms were naturally one and a half times longer than mine. If I'd had a greatsword, the outcome might have been different.

Thududuk—!

Its thick arm pierced straight through my bone armor and into my torso. For a split second, a calm expression similar to the one it had shown during our conversation appeared on its face, but it soon looked down at me with a wicked grin, baring its fangs—the clear mark of a predator.

'At least this—!'

Fwoooooosh!

"Grrrk!!"

My health dropped sharply, and Gray Fungus Poison was released naturally. I sprayed a thick cloud of the toxic smoke directly into its snout. But the werewolf ignored it completely and lifted the arm impaling me high into the air. It was probably planning to slam me into the ground and then pummel me into paste with those terrifying fists.

'Heh heh heh... Hahaha!!'

But the one who truly wanted to laugh was me. There had never been a time when I regretted not being able to laugh freely more than now.

'If I miss at this range, I should just quit being a hunter!'

Thwock—!

'You son of a bitch! Die already!'

Grrrk—?!

The moment I activated the skill, the five Flame Marks resonated with each other, and I felt them connect to a core inside my mind.

— 'The Eternally Falling Bird, Iriscas' has taken notice of you.

The moment I used Flame Explosion, an unfamiliar message flashed in my mind before vanishing. Then—

Giiiiiiiiiiii———

An abyssal terror unlike anything I'd ever felt washed over me, raising goosebumps across my entire body. Soon after, my whole frame began to crumble.

'The skill hit that guy, so why is my body—?!'

No one answered my fleeting question. With a bizarre, piercing shriek, the Flame Marks on the werewolf were absorbed into its heart like melting wax. The entire process happened in an instant, as if time itself had stopped.

Then, from within the werewolf's body where the marks had been absorbed, a brilliant light unlike anything I'd seen before burst forth—

As if containing every hot energy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in existence and shooting it toward the sky, a rainbow-colored flame exploded outward in all directions with the werewolf at its center.

KWAAAAAAAAAAAAANG———!!

The flames that soared into the sky stretched upward as if trying to grasp the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ceiling that had seemed impossibly far away.

'This is insane...?!'

Rustle, rustle—

The werewolf, which had been radiating such ferocious momentum, vanished without a trace in the explosion.