He narrowed his eyes again at the system window, his mind recalling what he knew about beasts.

The boar's health was listed clearly, but its mana tab was grayed out. He clicked his tongue again.

Of course. The explanation was simple.

This beast had no mana. Not yet. Beasts below D-rank rarely did. Only at C-rank did it become a certainty, and even then, some exceptional D-rank monsters awakened their mana earlier than expected.

That was the real danger—the ones capable of wielding mana weren't limited to brute force; they could develop innate skills.

Natural abilities tied to their bloodlines, skills they could awaken and use instinctively in battle.

Damien shook the thought from his mind and took another measured glance at the beast.

The black boar stood with its body angled low, its hooves scraping the dirt beneath it, as though preparing to launch itself forward at any second.

Its tusks gleamed in the fractured sunlight cutting through the canopy above, sharp and merciless.

His grip on the daggers tightened unconsciously. His teeth gnashed together.

'Will I be able to take on an E-rank beast?'

The thought lingered in his head for only a moment before reality gave him no more time to consider.

The boar roared loudly, a furious growl tearing from its throat as it finally lunged forward. Its massive bulk thundered across the ground, hooves pounding heavily like war drums.

Damien's eyes widened slightly.

Its speed caught him off guard.

For something so large, he hadn't expected it to close the distance so quickly.

Instinct took over before he could think; his muscles tensed, and he dashed sharply to the side, his movements fluid and precise.

The beast barreled past him, missing his body by mere inches, and with no time to slow its momentum, it crashed violently into a tree behind him.

The impact shook the ground and sent splinters of wood scattering into the air.

Damien exhaled harshly, steadying himself as he slid back into position.

'It's pretty fast…' he thought, his eyes narrowing into a focused glare. His lips pressed into a thin line. 'I didn't expect that.'

For a heartbeat, silence followed.

The boar shook its massive head and scraped its tusks against the bark of the tree it had just slammed into.

Its red eyes blazed hotter than before, filled with pure fury, as though it had taken Damien's evasion as a personal insult.

And yet, Damien wasn't trembling. He wasn't retreating.

He frowned, but not from fear. No—this sensation was something else.

His pulse thundered in his ears. His blood felt as though it had ignited, rushing wildly through his veins. Adrenaline surged through him in a wave, every nerve in his body tingling sharply, every sense heightened beyond the ordinary.

The corners of his lips curled upward slightly.

'This feeling… it excites me.'

The danger. The rush. The thrill of knowing he was standing before something that could very well end his life in an instant.

It should have been terrifying. But instead, it set his heart racing, his instincts burning brighter, his very being alive with anticipation.

Damien's smirk deepened, his chest rising and falling in quick breaths, though not from exhaustion—no, from exhilaration.

'Yeah… that's right!' His thoughts were sharp, surging with the same fire racing through his veins. 'This is another new experience for me. The feeling of danger… real danger!'

His eyes gleamed as he stared down the massive black boar.

The boar grunted furiously, its tusks still buried deep in the bark of the massive tree it had collided with.

With a final, guttural snarl, the beast ripped its tusks free, shards of wood scattering across the forest floor.

Its crimson eyes burned hotter than before as it swung its head toward Damien, fury radiating off its entire frame.

Without hesitation, the boar charged again, its thunderous hooves pounding against the dirt, kicking up clumps of earth with each step.

Damien's gaze sharpened. This time, he didn't move to dodge. He didn't step aside.

Instead, he leaned forward and dashed straight at the beast.

The boar grunted angrily at his audacity, lowering its tusks like spears aimed directly at his chest.

The sound of its bellow filled the clearing, an ear-splitting roar of defiance and hunger. Its entire bulk was a wall of death rushing at him, a storm of muscle and fury meant to crush anything in its way.

But Damien wasn't ordinary prey.

[Minor Speed Boost]!

[Minor Strength Boost]!

His voice echoed in his mind as both skills activated at once.

A surge of raw energy erupted within him, coursing through every muscle and fiber of his flesh.

His veins burned as power and speed fused together, amplifying his body far beyond its normal limits.

The world around him seemed to slow for just a moment, his movements sharper, his body lighter, his strikes heavier.

He launched himself forward, his steps a blur across the dirt.

In the split second before the boar's tusks could tear through him, Damien tilted his body sideways, narrowly avoiding the dirty grey tusks.

The beast's massive head whipped past him, the wind of its charge grazing his cheek.

Using the momentum, Damien kicked off the ground and propelled himself upward, landing firmly on the creature's broad, fur-covered back.

"Graaaahhh!" The boar screeched in rage, but Damien was already moving.

His dagger glinted in the fractured sunlight as he drove it down with all his enhanced strength, burying the blade deep into the thick flesh of the beast's neck.

Blood spurted instantly, hot and scarlet, spraying across his arm and splashing down the beast's hide.

The boar screamed in pain, thrashing violently. Its entire body convulsed, twisting and bucking with wild desperation to throw him off.

Damien gritted his teeth and held firm for as long as he could, the raw power beneath him making his entire body rattle.

But the beast was relentless, its muscles surging like waves, and within seconds, he realized staying on would only get him killed.

He pushed off sharply, leaping backward into the air before landing smoothly on the dirt several paces away. His boots dug into the ground, stabilizing him instantly.

The boar staggered, its massive head thrashing as blood gushed freely from the wound in its neck.

Pain had blinded it momentarily, its movements clumsy, distracted by the agony coursing through its body.

Damien's eyes flashed.

'Now!'

With speed still coursing through his limbs, he lunged forward again, closing the distance before the beast could recover.

His dagger arced upward, a silver streak in his hand, before he plunged it into the underside of the boar's thick neck.

The blade sank deep, cutting through muscle and veins. Damien didn't hesitate—he pulled hard, slicing across the beast's throat in one swift, merciless motion.

Blood burst forth in a violent spray, coating his hand and staining the ground beneath them.

The air filled with the metallic tang of iron as crimson splashed against his chest and face.

The boar released a final, pitiful groan, its massive frame trembling uncontrollably.

Its legs buckled beneath its weight as life drained from its body, the crimson glow in its eyes fading into dull emptiness.

And then, with one last shiver, it collapsed onto the forest floor.

The ground shook faintly as the wild black boar breathed its last, its colossal body lying still and lifeless at Damien's feet.

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