About 7 feet tall, the monster loomed over Alex, looking down with a terrifying presence. A weird-looking creature covered in black, its back was massive, and its hands and legs resembled those of a wolf. Its face was like a hungry, nasty hyena with no eyes, and a lion's tail swayed behind it. Its mouth leaked saliva, dripping as it picked up Alex's scent.
When Alex activated his Sage Vision, his eyes began emitting a soft golden light. It wasn't particularly bright, but it marked the first time his eyes had ever glowed, adding an almost otherworldly aura to his presence.
Alex wastes no time and uses Quick Dash, leaping from one point to another, trying to get close to the weird monster.
The monster raises its claws towards him. Alex effortlessly dodges it and tries to hit the monster, but it was quick to respond, and Alex had no choice but to back down.
"Close range isn't working, I need to try something else."
Alex attempted the same method as before, but this time, he outsmarted the monster. Instead of confronting it head-on, he swiftly moved behind it and grabbed hold of its tail.
Alex hoped to slam it on the ground or at least ruin the monster's position by pulling its tail. Unfortunately for him, the monster was too heavy.
He immediately backs down, and now both of them are slowly moving round and round, acknowledging each other's strength.
In the next try, Alex manages to hit the monster, but his jacket gets torn from the monster's sharp claws. The punch didn't hurt the monster at all.
Alex was still extremely weak in terms of this world's standards, even though he was quite strong by human standards.
For the next 15 minutes, Alex dodges the monster's attacks while trying to land punches.
It was hard for him to attack the monster's pressure points.
The monster slightly slips in the middle of the fight. Alex grabs his fist tight and swings his hands toward the monster's rectum. He manages to hit it somewhat, but the claws go deep into his left hand.
Blood was leaking from his left hand as he retreated 8 meters back and stopped the bleeding with his right hand.
'This is bad, this monster is way too fast and sharp despite its foolish appearance.'
The monster, enraged, charges straight at him. Alex was getting a little nervous as he was now on the defensive.
He quickly grabs a handful of sand near him and throws it into the monster's eyes. But he forgot that the monster doesn't have eyes. Still, by pure luck, the monster sneezes for a second.
That second was more than enough for Alex to retreat. He quickly finds a well-sturdy tree branch, breaks it with his right hand, and charges at the monster.
"This is payback for earlier."
He stabs the monster in its legs.
Alex quickly maneuvers toward the monster's back, sits on top of it, grabs his fist tight, and starts hitting it with his hands. Each time he hits, it's harder than before, to the point where his hands were totally red from bruises.
The heat of the moment was so tense, Alex didn't realize he had broken a bone or two in his hands.
Each impact made the monster scream louder in agony. Driven mad by the pain, it thrashed wildly and rolled on the ground in a desperate attempt to escape the torment.
But Alex had his grip tight on the monster's fur, determined not to let go.
The monster suddenly slammed its massive back against an old, towering tree. Alex, caught in between, was crushed by the force and lost his grip. He fell straight to the ground, gasping for air.
Seeing Alex fall, the monster quickly jumps on top of him and tries to bite his neck. Alex manages to block its mouth with his hands, but the sharp teeth were now penetrating deep into his right hand.
Nearby, Alex spotted a rock. He grabs it immediately, tightens his grip, and slams it into the monster's head.
While the monster was disoriented from the hit, Alex jumped on top of it again.
[Quick Dash]
Hold the stone tight, raise it high, and keep hitting until it is weakened.
The monster began running at an incredible speed, recklessly crashing into trees along the way. Alex, determined not to lose his chance, holds the stone with all his strength, refusing to loosen his grip or focus.
The monster charged toward another large tree a few meters ahead. In that brief moment, Alex quickly removed his shirt, wrapped it around the monster's neck, and pulled up the sleeves with full force.
Right before hitting the tree, the monster slowed down. Saliva was leaking from its mouth, and desperately moving its arms, the monster struggled in vain, unable to break free. After a few minutes, it finally quieted down, its movements slowing as it seemed to give up.
[You have slain a Hybrid Hyena]
[You have gained 35 Exp]
Right when the message popped up, Alex lost consciousness.
[Vitality: 17]
The system turned red when it showed up.
The entire place was a mess, broken trees were everywhere. It was a nasty street fight. Not even the world's strongest human could have won against this monster, that's just how brutal the minimum standards of this mysterious world were.
3 hours later
Alex immediately wakes up, confused.
"I just woke up, but why do I still feel sleepy?"
[Vitality: 291]
A crow was standing on top of the monster's body. It was staring straight at Alex and flew away the moment he turned his eyes toward it.
Alex didn't see it. His whole attention was on the monster.
"I'm sorry. If I didn't kill you, I would've been the one dead. May your soul rest in peace."
Once he clapped his cheek, he started eating the monster.
By this point, Alex was used to this wild life. He hardly felt any disgust eating anything, even if it was an ugly hyena. Though still not confident about the snakes.
Trauma is a trauma for a reason.
After eating for 3 full hours, Alex was full. Blood was all over his mouth and body. He looked like a serial killer.
"Let's see how much I have progressed."
____
[Player: Alex]
[Level: 2 (50/500)]
[Vitality: (291/629)]
[Mana: 1.9]
Stats:
[Strength: 27.3]
[Stamina: 30.9]
[Agility: 46.6]
Skills:
[Sage Vision: Level 2]
[Poison Resistance: Level 1]
[Quick Dash: Level 0]
[Fire Magic: Level 0]
____
"I'm still not confident to face any of those big three, the Spider, the Ancient Snake, or that Serpent with these weak measly stats."
"I gotta look for a fine tree branch for a weapon."
Alex continues moving toward where he left the sword.
'With my current strength, I can at least lift the sword.'
'This place doesn't seem like humans would even come visit. That sword is my only hope in having an actual weapon, and it also improves my strength and stamina.'
Soon, he comes across a bunch of boulders stacked together. He could hear a cry from that place. It was a group of dark mysterious goblin-like monsters attacking a blue panda.
The panda was using itself as a shield to protect its baby that was crying aloud in a corner.
Alex looked at the goblins with an angry expression. The blood of the panda was spilled everywhere, and the baby panda was hiding in the corner of the boulder, his mother's blood splattered even on his face.
Alex grabbed a stick he found lying in the middle of the road, his grip tightening with anger. He felt a surge of distress as he watched the goblins mercilessly attack a helpless mother bear. His eyes burned with fury, bloodshot and filled with rage as he stared down the goblins.
"I'll kill you all!"