A panther of pitch-black fur bellowed with primal fury, its piercing gaze locked onto the human standing defiantly in front of it.
The panther was not just any beast, but a shadowclaw, an infamous Qi beast often found lurking in the treacherous voidland.
The human confronting the beast was none other than Alex, whose fate seemed to be curiously intertwined with these creatures.
It was as though the Heavens took pleasure in his misfortune, Alex pondered, a wry smile tugged at his lips. "Why does it seem like my luck has taken a nosedive in these past hours?" he murmured to the wind, his voice barely audible over the shadowclaw's snarls.
Alex glanced down at his attire, now a ragged tapestry of torn fabrics. The clothes he had donned mere hours ago, before joining Wu Lina's expedition, were now in tatters.
The irony of it was that he hadn't even had any fight with any Qi beasts yet.
His misfortune had been a series of slapstick calamities—stumbling over hidden roots or loose rocks, tripping on seemingly level terrain—none of them involving actual combat.
Upon their arrival in the voidland, he and Chen Wei, were tasked with scouting the area, a prospective resting spot before the real mission began.
No sooner had he started his task than he encountered the shadowclaw—a middle-stage lesser Qi beast, no less.
The shadowclaw wasted no time in launching its attack, its muscular body coiling before uncoiling like a released spring, sending it hurtling toward Alex.
Having previously encountered a low-stage Qi beast, Alex knew the shadowclaw's neck was its most heavily guarded area, a defense that only weakened when the beast was on the brink of death.
The beast's underbelly, however, was its Achilles' heel.
Yet, instead of aiming for the stomach, Alex wanted to test the sharpness of the new dagger he got from Elder Liang.
As the shadowclaw lunged, Alex performed a swift sidestep to the right, cleverly luring the creature's gaze in that direction. Then, with the agility of a fox, he sidestepped to the left.
The shadowclaw, thrown off by Alex's quick-footed maneuver, struggled to follow his movements, its head still turned towards the initial feint.
Seizing the opportunity, Alex swung his arm, the hand clutching the dagger slashing through the air toward the now-exposed neck of the beast.
The dagger made contact with the creature's neck.
Instead of the anticipated clash of metal against hardened flesh, the blade sliced through the shadowclaw's neck as though it were butter. "What the…" Alex muttered, his surprise reflected in the widening eyes of the beast.
He had hoped the dagger would at least inflict a decent wound, but to cut through the beast's neck without resistance was beyond his wildest expectations.
"This is a bloody middle-stage lesser Qi beast, not some chicken," Alex mused, surprised by the outcome.
The beast's anguished roar brought him back to reality.
He turned to see it writhing in pain, a deep gash on its neck from which blood was gushing from pooling below it.
The Shadowclaw Beast fixed its gaze upon Alex. Its eyes, akin to two obsidian orbs, were wide with shock and bewilderment.
It seemed unable to comprehend how this human, with his cultivation level akin to a mere lowly seedling, could inflict such a severe wound to its neck with a solitary attack.
Fear, began to manifest on its face, a visage of raw, untamed power.
However, the primal instincts of the beast overpowered its newfound fear, replacing it with a fit of visceral anger.
Its eyes flamed with rage as it faced the seemingly insignificant human who had dared to mark it with such a grievous wound.
With a roar that shook the heavens, it lunged toward Alex, its razor-sharp claws glinting under the sunlight.
However, Alex was no fool. He knew that his previous trick, successful as it was, would not work a second time.
The beast, having learned its lesson, would guard its neck with all its might. Penetrating its defenses would be far from easy this time.
As the Qi beast, a terrifying whirlwind of raw energy and power was about to reach him, an arrow sliced through the air.
"Piu," the arrow pierced the beast, hitting it mid-flight.
The impact caused the Shadowclaw, in the midst of its high-speed assault, to crash into the ground, stopping mere feet away from Alex.
Taken aback, Alex swept his gaze around, searching for the source of the unexpected interference.
Emerging from the shadows, Shen Hong sauntered forward, an inscrutable smile playing on his lips. It was clear as day that he was the one who had fired the arrow.
Alex's eyes returned to the fallen Shadowclaw. Although its movements had ceased, he knew better than to presume it dead.
Without a moment's hesitation, he knelt beside the beast and, with a swift, decisive motion, drove his dagger deep into its skull.
A triumphant grin spread across his face as a pop-up screen materialized before him.
_..._..._..._..._
[DING! DING!!]
Mission: Defeat Enemy – Completed.
Enemy Killed: A Mid-Stage Lesser Qi Beast - Shadowclaw Defeated.
Reward: New Skill Unlocked.
_..._..._..._..._
Alex blinked in surprise, taken aback by the unusual reward.
He had expected an increase in his EXP point, not a new skill.
His heart pounded with excitement as he pondered over the nature of this newfound ability.
He was tempted to immediately explore the new skill, but Shen Hong's presence reminded him of the situation at hand.
"Shen Hong," he muttered under his breath, pulling his dagger from the beast's skull.
He then wiped it clean on a rag, erasing the traces of the beast's lifeblood, and turned to face Shen Hong who was now approaching him.
The smug smile that Shen Hong previously wore had morphed into a mask of fury. His steps were heavy, filled with a simmering rage as he neared Alex.
His voice echoed through the night, a thunderous accusation, "What are you trying to do? Are you trying to steal my kill?"
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A/N
Starting today, two chapters will be released daily. I sincerely hope that you have been thoroughly enjoying the story thus far.
Please consider supporting the author's work in any way possible, as I am in dire need of some motivation to continue my endeavors.