CH 20

༺ The First Letter (20) ༻

In the glade, between the sparsely scattered trees, a human and a beast were drawing circles around each other. Their gazes clashed against each other, along with the frazzled silence.

The man was holding a sword, while the beast held nothing. There was no need, because his enormous body, which was more than 2m tall, was already a weapon in itself.

The man’s body, staring at the wolf without uttering a word, looked already battered.

He had mud and clotted blood all over his body, and the cotton bandage he wrapped around his forearm had long since become dirty. He would gasp for breath just by taking a step, and his eyes could only focus for a brief moment.

It wouldn’t be strange if he were to collapse right away. The beast was aiming for that moment.

He was a human with a strangely faint presence. He couldn’t hear his breathing or heartbeat for a while. If he hadn’t felt the harsh breathing and beating of his heart, He wouldn’t even know whether he was alive or not.

All the wolf’s subordinates were attacked by this man. They were defeated one by one, and even if two or three came together, they could not stand against this man.

He must have been one of the strongest among humans. Among the prey he had been hunting so far, he was the best.

It would be pretty refreshing to see his guts spill out and scatter on the ground.

The wolf, who inherited the artistic temperament of a demonic beast, felt quite pleased just at the thought of that. His breathing became a little shaky.

On the other hand, the man kept his composure all the time. At least on the surface, he seemed to have done so. In fact, his innards were so hot that he felt like he was about to get burned.

I lost my temper for a while. The man, Ian Percus, thought so.

No matter how much he thought about it, his physical condition was not normal. his muscles, having already reached their limits, were screaming with all their might. His stiff movements were proof of this.

And the beast in front of him at least looked different from the enemies he had dealt with before. He must have been something like a pack leader, and not only his weight class but also his intelligence seemed to be superior.

—

I could only infer by how he was approaching me with caution. The beasts I had turned into corpses until now weren’t doing that.

They either charged at me with a flame of hostility burning in their eyes, or they died in a surprise attack without even noticing me.

If I make a mistake, I’ll die.

As if he was walking on thin ice, Ian’s gait became more cautious. 

He was an opponent to whom I could die, even if I didn’t make a mistake. If I were to be careless even for a moment, I wouldn’t even notice how I died.

Emma’s aggressor was right in front of my eyes. As a friend, even if I couldn’t get revenge, I could at least share a gloomy reunion with her in the afterlife.

Ian’s golden eyes scanned the wolf’s movements.

It was to grasp the ‘feel’. He was walking at a leisurely pace now, but his opponent was a beast. No matter how patient he was, he would never completely overcome his wild nature.

He will soon reach the limit of his patience, and in that moment, his muscles’ movements would inevitably be different.

That momentary instant was my opportunity.

Regardless of his will, Ian’s body was not in a condition to endure a long-term fight. Somehow, he had to find a way to pierce his opponent’s opening and end him at once.

So, how long was the nerve war between Ian and the wolf going to last?

The wolf’s muscles twitched. A virtual trajectory was drawn in front of Ian’s eyes.

Now was the time. 

–––

The moment Ian decided as such, he twisted his body.

A blunt shock transmitted throughout his body.

It felt like he had just been hit by a cannonball. An acceleration such that he wouldn’t even leave an afterimage coupled with his dreadful size, even being hit by an actual cannonball, wouldn’t be as painful.

“Aaarghhh……!”

His eyes widened spontaneously, and blood gushed out of his mouth. His body was blown away regardless of his will and was flung onto a tree that resembled a wooden .

Crash, the tree, hit by the mass of an adult male out of nowhere, shook violently. Along with that, the man’s vision trembled wildly as well.

Ugh, Ian instinctively crouched down while groaning. Every part of his body ached. He protected his body with his mana, but even that had a limit.

In the end, he couldn’t see it.

To be more precise, his afterimage was barely visible. That’s how Ian was able to even twist his body.

But that was the end. Ian’s body was too tired to avoid the beast’s charge.

His senses were now absurdly sharp. Ian felt like he had just learned how to perceive the world again. How can the world be so dense with information that I can grasp?

His senses were now sharp enough to be incomparable with how they were the last time he fought Seria. However, his exhausted body was unable to immediately carry out the commands of his brain.

So he allowed a fatal blow. It was terrible taking into consideration the current state of the body.

Naturally, the wolf didn’t give the man time to catch his breath.

It took some time for him to stop because of the speed he charged at, but taking advantage of Ian’s situation, the wolf rushed at high speed again.

The wolf’s jaws were wide open. Ian instinctively infused aura into the sword he was holding.

And then stabbed and slashed. It was an instinctive reaction, almost like a spinal reflex which doesn’t go through the brain.

The blade, rotating at a sharp speed, went right in the depth of the wolf’s jaws because of the beast’s momentum. When the speed of the blade was added to the acceleration of the wolf, the wolf’s jaws didn’t even reach Ian.

Surprised, the wolf clenched his fangs and managed to somehow restrain his blade. However, the sword swathed in aura continued to advance, scratching his teeth as if rebelling against that terrifying force.

White powder produced due to grinding if his molars flew away with a screeching sound. It was at that moment that Ian pulled out the hatchet from his waist.

The hatchet slashed the wolf’s nose, which came close to his eyes. ‘Hoooowl,’ the black wolf howled in agony as his snot, drenched in blood, splattered everywhere.

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It would have been nice if the wolf’s head just rolled to the ground with that, but the wolf’s strength was incomparable to those of the wolves he had dealt with so far.

The beast just roared while writhing in excruciating agony, then backed away.

The sword was now free due to the wolf’s open jaws. Ian immediately grabbed the hatchet and charged at the wolf, but the wolf was a formidable opponent.

Clank, the hatchet’s blade and the wolf’s claws crashed. He was because the beast instinctively swung his front paw to block Ian’s charge.

The wolf jumped up into the air on the spot and performed a somersault. That move seemed quite artistic. 

If I were to catch that bastard and sell him to the circus, I might get quite a good price for him.

Ian, while dwelling over such an absurd thought, quickly grabbed the sword that fell to the ground. Since the distance was widened anyway, he couldn’t charge at him anymore.

1 win 1 loss.

The wolf bent down and let out a low growl. Blood was dripping from the tip of his nose. Bubbles of blood rose from his nose as if they were fueled by the wolf’s distressed breathing.

Seeing that scene, Ian’s lips curled to form a lopsided smile as if to mock him.

“Hm-hmmm… hey, are you feeling well?”

The wolf didn’t answer. Instead, he only moved his neck with a more vigilant look than before.

Ian also wanted to shout, ‘I’m more hurt, you bastard!,’ but he couldn’t, as he was out of breath.

He only gasped while smiling faintly.

He felt like his lungs were being squeezed tight. The pain from the wolf’s charge still hadn’t gone away. In the end, he twisted his body to divert the shock. And even though he protected his body with mana–

He felt a strong pain in his arm, as if his very bone was being chipped away. At least he was sure that a few of his bones had cracked. He felt an excruciating pain. As such, Ian’s arms trembled.

I’m at a disadvantage. Ian thought.

Even if it wasn’t the case, his consciousness was fading. It was a shame because the density of his aura was gradually increasing during the fight, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to even pierce his hide.

In fact, even if the hatchet struck a softer part, like the nose with the wolf’s thick leather, the blade wouldn’t have gone through.

Of course, there were also advantages.

The wolf’s eyes were still burning with hostility, but there was also a sense of anxiousness and fear that could not be hidden.

He opened his jaws to put an end to this fight, but he never realized that the same choice would endanger his life. Now he wouldn’t be able to boast of hiss sharp fang at all.

The wolf’s protruding snout further reaffirmed this fact. The most lethal weapon of most wild beasts were their fangs and their bite force to drive them in. In other words, the wolf had one of his main weapons sealed.

Taking this into consideration, it was worth a try. The only problem was that Ian’s stamina had long since reached its limit and the wolf had only suffered one wound.

The wolf was a clever guy. Since my momentum had been swept away by an injury, there was no reason for him to not take advantage of this situation.

And Ian’s prediction came true.

The wolf smashed his hind legs to the ground. It was a head-butt at a terrifying speed that he showed at the beginning. Ian gave up trying to counterattack and threw himself away as soon as noticed the hint.

Ian’s body rolled to the ground. And then, in preparation for the subsequent blow, he grabbed his sword and got up quickly.

Ian distanced himself from him again and could spot the wolf staring at him.

“……Despicable, fucking… beast.”

The man spit out the blood accumulated in his mouth and muttered. The wolf’s intentions were obvious.

The wolf intended to go for a long-term fight. Then it was clear who would fall due to exhaustion first.

The wolf dominated in terms of speed. Even if I wanted to attack first, I could not catch up if the wolf took advantage of his unique mobility. Not to mention, I had no means of attacking him from a distance.

Throwing weapons was also an option, but the risk was too high. If I could not retrieve the weapon, it would spell my end.

Even Ian couldn’t figure out why he was so good at throwing, since he had never practiced it in the first place.

The wolf didn’t give Ian a long time to strategize. He charged once again.

Ian’s body rolled to the ground. It was an inevitable choice. And while panting for breath, the moment when he showed a slight delay.

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The wolf’s claws, which were approaching him, slammed into the ground. If Ian hadn’t rolled his body at the last moment, that claw would have pierced his body.

He tried to retaliate by raising his sword, but he couldn’t muster his strength while rolling on the ground. The wolf took a step backwards before the sword could even build aura properly.

Aura, I need time to swathe my sword in aura. Ian clenched his teeth and staggered up.

And as such, several clashes went on.

A few times, he rolled to the ground to avoid him, and a few times, he raised his sword and blocked his claws. The wolf was never in a hurry.

Just as a hunter drove his prey into a corner, the wolf drove Ian without mercy.

The more he did so, the more Ian’s breathing became rough.

Air didn’t reach his brain properly, so he was getting dizzy. His vision became blurry, and his eyes, which had always had a calm light on them, were now unfocused.

His body didn’t listen properly. His muscles were as hard as lead, and they couldn’t properly carry out the commands his instincts sent him. The wolf felt joy when he saw it.

The excitement of hunting possessed the beast’s brain. Pleasant substances were secreted, blood in his eyes, a rough breathing.

The beast noticed it intuitively. The moment he landed another blow, the life of that man would be over.

As it was an opponent who had wounded his body, the wolf felt fear for the first time in his life when the blade came through his gaping jaws. It stimulated the wolf’s excitement and alertness at the same time.

He wanted to quickly kill that person and prove his strength. The wolf’s instincts were screaming and fanning him to bite and kill that human at this moment.

But the wolf persevered. Because he believed that the results would soon be revealed.

It was soon revealed that the wolf was right.

He couldn’t escape the wolf’s charge, as the man was exhausted. With a thump, the man’s body flew through the sky. No.

Actually, the word ‘shot’ was more appropriate than ‘fly’. The moment the giant wolf’s body accelerated at that speed, his momentum was beyond imagination and he was hit directly by him.

With a thump, the body of the man, who had once more struck the wooden pole, slid. The sword’s hilt he held until the end looked miserable. The trees trembled at the shock wave as leaves began falling.

The man’s breath, which was faint, subsided. He couldn’t even feel his heart beating. A clear sign of death.

The wolf’s heart was racing. Did I finally win?

But the beast was cautious even to the last minute. As if fearing that it might be a trap, the beast circled around and crouched down.

Nevertheless, the man’s breath was not felt again. So was his heartbeat. Now the wolf’s patience had reached his limit.

The wolf strode over, admiring the corpse he had just made. It was beautiful.

The wolf, who was looking at Ian with ecstatic eyes, carefully pulled out its sharp claws. Like an artist who fears that his masterpiece would get damaged even a little.

If I cut his stomach with these claws, his guts will spill out.

The shock must have been accumulated, so he didn’t know if the man’s innards had exploded. It was a pity, but it was still the best loot the wolf had ever obtained from a fight.

The moment the wolf raised its claws and carefully brought it to the navel.

Swing-

He heard the sound of a sharp object cutting through something. I haven’t even touched him with my claws yet, so why?

The wolf’s puzzled gaze turned downward. There, a man with a wintry smile on his face entered his field of vision.

“… … Voila.”

Suddenly, a sword imbued with a dense aura stabbed him in his throat.

The wolf’s movements ceased. He should have been dead. I checked his body over and over again. I couldn’t feel his breath or heartbeat at all. There wasn’t even a tremor.

But the burning pain he felt in his throat, the air that did not enter his lungs even while gasping for breath, and his body that gradually stopped listening to his commands.

All of this was telling him that what he was seeing now was real. The wolf’s black eyes blankly stared at the man and the blade that pierced his neck alternately.

With a smile on his face, the man clenched his teeth and firmed his grip around the sword’s hilt.

“I’m still alive, you bastard.”

And the blade dug into the wolf’s neck a little more.

Blood gushed out like a fountain. Then the beast howled belatedly. It was a voice that resonated through the forest, as great as his weight class.

It was the pitiful scream of a dying beast, of a prey being slaughtered by its hunter.