After losing almost three-quarters of the pack, only about 50 or so panthers were remaining alive. The Crowned Silverline Panther, being smarter and larger than the rest, devised a plan to isolate the active opponents and then terminate the injured.
But there was one flaw in its plan - the enemies had already seen through the strategy.
Though Tara, Theo and Gary had dashed ahead to slice down the pack, they didn't leave the vicinity of Walter. Only Adam charged ahead into the pack carelessly but it didn't create a gap since his area of combat was within a few metres to Walter.
But he was eventually pushed back to his place, thanks to the relentless attacks of the leader.
Roar!
A pair of fierce jaws aimed at Adam's neck but was blocked by the spear. The beast quickly gripped its teeth onto the spear and disabled any attempt to freely slash with the weapon.
But what the beast failed to foresee was his unarmed combat mode.
A swift uppercut left the Crowned Silverline Panther with a dislocated jaw and a bleeding mouth. The spear locked by the carnivorous teeth was let go with saliva and blood flowing over it.
Awuu...
The chief beast's whining caught the attention of the rest of the pack as they turned to see their leader staggering backwards. The beast quickly distanced himself from Adam but the wounds in its mouth pushed the beast's heart towards the peak of frenzy.
Unfortunately, this moment of distraction brought the demise of at least 10 beasts.
Gary and Theo were shouting madly while spewing damage all around them. Tara utilised her simple yet agile movements to dismember a pair of panthers' heads.
"Their morale is down. Use the moment." Gary yelled and Adam felt his limbs moving on their own. In the presence of the knowledge imparted by the sage, the earthling saw his entire consciousness becoming one with the combat wisdom.
Puchik...puchik...
Rather than dwelling in amazement, Adam quickly adjusted his mind and went with the flow. This tutorial of automatic execution united with his muscle memory and produced astonishing results.
Nonetheless...
'The hell is wrong with these strikes?!'
For Adam who was a simple human with basic knowledge and preliminary attack strategy, his bones and body was a stranger to the systematic execution of series of moves which creates a lopsided advantage in battle.
The lack of martial arts training and an organised exercise regime could have killed him in many circumstances. But the lack of soul which leaves the body as soon as receiving fatal damage became a blessing in disguise. The only gift he was bestowed by his original father was an undying, inseparable and inextinguishable consciousness that never leaves his body no matter how bad he was pummeled.
Several miscellaneous thoughts flashed in Adam's heart as he spectated his battle with the beast. The panther's black fur with elegant silver stripes was sticking together under the presence of blood.
Now it didn't have the prestigious aura of a crowned king.
The blows and stabs from Adam proved lethal and dealt damage. The accumulating pain rippled across its body and its reflexes began to slow down. For a B-grade beast, the Crowned Silverline Panther was absurdly resilient.
But both parties suffered damage.
As the damage dealt increased, each strike of the panther reflected the agony it went through. Blood spurted from their wounds as the lesser panthers witnessed their leader combatting with a worthy opponent.
Tara was able to take the glimpse of these two savage entities and her eyes narrowed, "Which among them is the beast?"
While the panther sustained damage, Adam wasn't an exception. There were severe slash marks on his clothes and his t-shirt was thoroughly ventilated. The crimson stain of blood spread across the fabric yet his face revealed an ecstatic smirk. It was as if the blood loss isn't a matter worth bringing up.
Theo also shared this doubt as they caught the sight of a vicious grin on both partys' faces. It had an intimidating sense hidden in it. Like a warmonger intoxicated with the frenzy of blood's scent, both Adam and the panther grinned in such a way their faces warped and resembled the devil.
With a sudden swipe of the paw, Adam's fist lost its grip and the spear flew from his grasp. An overwhelming might packed in four claws descended on him diagonally and blood sprayed from the wound.
Gary pushed aside his opponents but was blocked by another wave of beasts.
We won't let you disturb our king - that's what their faces conveyed.
While sharing the same dilemma, Theo and Tara traded gazes and attempted to push through. But the result was scratch marks from claws. It wasn't intended to kill but to act as a warning.
You shall not pass!
"..." Gary, Tara and Theo.
Meanwhile, the brawl between monsters has come to an end.
'What's with this puny human?!' Bellowed the beast in his heart upon witnessing the opponent's wounds healing automatically. It also noticed the weird action of the opponent flicking his wrist and throwing something into his mouth. After careful research, the Crowned Silverline Panther almost lost his reason.
Roar!
Bastard! Eating our cores like snacks?!
Adam was unaware that his action ignited the wick of rage in the beast's heart. The endless hatred to hunters and poachers nurtured through decades of experience was witnessing someone chewing down beast cores like potato chips.
How could one not get angry?
Without any reserve, the beast began to slice and bite Adam but unsuccessful in the attempt. But its effort found its target as Adam was bewildered by this quick transformation. There was surprise in his eyes as he saw the beast's fur glowing with a pale indigo hue.
Without holding back, Adam trusted his fists. They precisely collided with jaw and its torso, gifting throbbing at each instance. The pure brawl baffled every spectators. Some panthers even had their blood boiling in excitement.
"Is that really a level 12 rookie?" Gary couldn't help but ask himself while witnessing this blood-curdling action sequence. Blood and brutality wasn't a stranger to him, but this... This was insanity. To brawl with a B-grade beast like a beast, the swordsman shook his head in acknowledgement of Adam's 'Berserker' class.
No wonder he can fight with ecstasy while sustaining damage.
Wait a minute...
Gary narrowed his eyes as he stumbled upon a word. Scanning the berserker's body, his eyes relaxed as he recalled reading his innate skill 'Auto-Healing.'
Fortunately, the three of them didn't notice Adam sneaking a beast core into his mouth every now and then.
Meanwhile...
'Time to end this!'
The panther burned its vigour and was soaked up in damage yet its unwavering resolve was applaudable. Even when swaying with the breeze, there was animosity in its pupils.
Upon deciding the perfect moment to strike, Adam drove his right hand right at its face. The Crowned Silverline Panther paused for a second, thinking something and then unexpectedly opened its mouth. The abrupt change was to quick to retract and Adam's fist was locked between two jaws!
Sets of razor sharp teeth began to dig into flesh from both above and below. An excruciating sensation flew up to Adam's brain and he shook his hand violently, only to acquire more discomfort. To make things difficult, the panther constantly swing its paw at his back and face.
Adam clearly felt that the beast had came up with a successful strategy.
But it didn't take too much time for him to experience depletion of mana. And this revelation widened his eyes.
'So smart...is this really a beast?'
A tinge of admiration crept up Adam's mind only to be replaced with distress and trauma. Whenever he tries to consume a core, the beast would block his venture and swat away the crystal.
Within a minute, sluggishness enveloped Adam and the panther was happy to witness this development. In a moment of the beast's distraction, a tiny beast core found its unobstructed course into Adam's throat.
The tiny crystal only packed a very limited amount of mana so Adam didn't had the luxury of taking his sweet time. Additionally, the existence of Auto-Healing sapped his mana dry before he knew it.
Quickly lowering the torso as if crouching, Adam brought the beast's torso to the ground. Finding his attempt beneficial, the beast rooted its forelimbs in the ground and decided to tore off his locked fist.
But, this action left the beast's forelimb exposed.
Padhak...
Like a battle ram, the mana-empowered left fist plunged at the paws of the panther. The crisp shattering of bones echoed in the air and everyone heard it.
The timing was simply accurate as his fist was at the verge of being ripped apart.
The creature wasn't willing to let go off the arm and Adam came to a conclusion - external damage can't defeat this bastard!
With a flick of his wrist, an average sized beast core vanished into his mouth. Chewing the crystal to pieces, he acquired the energy for his final strike.
"Explode."