As soon as the bait was set to lure an animal, it didn't take long before a beast appeared.
The beast looked like a massive tiger, but its stripes seemed reversed: mostly black, while the orange covered the larger part of its body.
— What level is the beast? — someone asked.
— It's a Reverse Striped Tiger, lower level, 3 stars of strength. A carnivorous beast adapted to ambushes and sometimes feeds on carrion.
— If you fight it, try not to destroy its fur or its eyes. Its eyes are spiritually crystallized and can be used for ocular techniques.
As soon as Cylan finished his explanation, Dante charged at the beast like lightning. His feet accelerated, and he threw a heavy punch toward it.
However, it easily dodged and made a cut around Dante's arm. It wasn't deep, but enough to draw blood.
— Raaaw!
The beast roared and lunged violently, trying to sink its teeth into Dante's neck or spine.
— Tum!
A thud sounded, and Dante's exoskeleton armor activated. Without the beast's spiritual ability, its passive defense was limited, yet sufficient for Dante. He just needed extra resistance to strike back.
The beast approached as if it were disappearing into the shadows, weaving through feints and dodges.
Even though it was extremely fast, Dante could see it clearly and, without fear, advanced straight at the tiger.
They clashed with brutal force: punches, kicks, bites, claw slashes — neither giving ground.
The beast moved toward Dante's servant, but its claws couldn't pierce the exoskeleton armor.
Dante didn't miss the opportunity and landed a punch on the beast's chest.
— Zizzz!
Claws extended from the tips of his fingers, slicing lightly into the tiger's fur, forcing it to step back.
These were lion claws implanted in the armor as a piercing method — after all, even combatants needed a way to pierce defenses.
— Raaaw! — the tiger roared in rage and lunged again, but Dante would not lose this fight.
Their fists collided like two wild animals facing off.
Meanwhile, Cylan watched from atop a tree. He was extremely strong, but I would say he lacked real experience fighting using only fists and body. If they were on the same level, the tiger would already have been defeated.
As Cylan analyzed, Dante and the beast continued their confrontation. Only the sound of collisions could be heard in the area. The wind, the grass being trampled, everything seemed silent before this insane duel: a man versus a beast.
Dante's punches fell on the beast like axes. Even if they didn't cut, they caused heavy internal impact.
But the beast was no weakling. Its claws couldn't pierce the armor, but its jaws could crush anything it managed to bite. If it connected a bite, it would be the end of Dante.
The disadvantage was Dante's: the beast had 3 stars, meaning it had much more mana than him.
Unfortunately for the beast, its opponent was Dante — someone who had taken a taste for the hunt. He advanced relentlessly, keeping a smile on his face.
— Shhiii shiiiii shiiiii!
The beast's body suddenly began making a strange noise, confusing Dante as he attacked.
Dante realized that the tiger's innate ability, though it seemed shadow-related, actually had another power…
Before he could finish thinking, black flames shot toward him, creating a scorched circle around his position.
The smell of burning filled his nose, accompanied by the hot taste in his mouth and the sensation of his lungs being suffocated.
— Raaaawwwwww!
The tiger lunged with a powerful roar. Its body heated up and was covered in a layer of black flames that now followed its attacks.
Dante tried to dodge and put out the fire, but it was useless — he kept burning.
Dante was a spark of bestial fire; only something of a higher level, like a 4-star water attack, could extinguish him.
— Tsk.
Dante clicked his tongue, and the core of his exoskeleton armor absorbed more energy. The armor spread further over his body, taking on a reddish color. It was the spiritual ability of the armor: Blood-Clad Shell.
Once activated, Dante's strength automatically rose to level 4 stars. It wasn't enough to extinguish the fire, but it was sufficient to destroy the beast quickly. He advanced and landed a punch on the side of the flaming tiger, but, impressively, they ended up even.
Both still possessed similar power.
The beast advanced with its flaming body, delivering precise claw slashes to Dante's chest, forearms, and stomach.
He skillfully dodged most of them and retreated, but a tear was made on his arm, from top to bottom, drawing blood and ripping part of the armor.
Dante used his elbow to destroy a tree and punched it toward the beast, which evaporated the wood with a burst of flames.
Smoke rose, and the smell of burned wood lingered in the air, but as the smoke began to clear, Dante had vanished within it.
He advanced through the mist, running at full speed, limiting the beast's perception to sound alone.
— Raaw!
The beast charged by sound, tearing through the mist as it approached. But when it saw Dante, it tried to retreat.
Blood and mana gathered in Dante's arm, and he delivered a heavy punch to the beast's face, sending it flying back to its previous position.
The ability he used was a low-level technique, consisting of gathering mana and blood in his fist for a more precise strike.
It was a basic technique: in the village, all soldiers start by learning three skills — the Blood Hardening Punch, the Spiritual Eye Technique (to differentiate levels), and the Light Body Technique (to move faster).
After the punch, the mist fully dissipated, and Dante and the beast could face each other again.
Dante displayed a confident, almost insane smile, while the beast stared at him with extreme irritation, as if he were something profane.
One of them would have to die…