Alex's heart pounded in his chest as he lay motionless, watching the dark figure and the Whisker Lynx. His mind raced, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
'What is that thing?' he wondered, his body frozen in fear.
The figure, an embodiment of darkness and power, seemed to radiate an overwhelming strength that Alex could feel even from his hidden vantage point.
As he observed, the Whisker Lynx bristled, its antennas flickering with electricity, sensing the danger. It turns out that the Whisker Lynx is a lightning-enchanted monster.
Alex realized this now; if he had attacked it earlier, he would most likely have been fried on the spot. He had never encountered any enchanted monsters before, and from the ramblings of other hunters, it would take a few rank-four hunters to be able to beat one.
But then, in a moment that felt like an eternity, the dark figure turned its gaze towards Alex's direction. Alex's breath caught in his throat.
'Did it see me?' His mind screamed for action, but his body refused to move.
The figure, however, simply turned away, its attention back on the Lynx. But Alex could have sworn that he saw a slight smirk on the figure's face.
In the deepening shadows of the forest, where the dense canopy barely allowed the last rays of the setting sun to penetrate, an epic confrontation was about to unfold.
Hidden among the underbrush, Alex watched with bated breath as the dark figure approached the Whisker Lynx.
The Lynx, sensing the imminent danger, positioned itself defensively. Its eyes, glowing with a fierce amber light, focused intently on the approaching threat. The antennas on its head crackled with electricity, charging the air with tension.
The figure, moving with grace, closed the distance with measured steps. It seemed almost relaxed, a stark contrast to the Lynx's bristling readiness.
Suddenly, the Lynx chose to strike first. With a burst of speed that sent leaves swirling in its wake, it lunged at the figure, its antennas discharging bolts of lightning.
The Lynx threw a couple of rapid swipes toward the figure. Alex flinched at the sudden assault, imagining himself in the figure's shoes; he would have nowhere to go, especially with the antennas shooting lightning bolts all around the figure.
But the figure was unfazed. To it, this was child's play. A mere cat trying to show dominance by clawing at an overpowering figure. With a swift movement that was almost a blur, it sidestepped the Lynx's attack while also avoiding the lightning with an almost supernatural ease.
Then, with a fluid motion, it struck back. Its clawed hand swept through the air, connecting with the Lynx's side. The impact was monumental. The sound echoed through the forest, a sharp clap that seemed to shake the ground.
The Lynx tumbled, crashing into trees and bushes, its massive body leaving a trail of broken vegetation in its wake.
For a moment, there was silence. The Lynx, stunned, struggled to regain its footing, its sides heaving as it tried to recover from the blow. The figure stood calmly, watching, its posture relaxed yet ready.
The Lynx, driven by instinct and fury, knew it was too weak to fight at close range against the dragon-like figure. This time, it focused on a long-range battle.
Using its antennas, it stood still, continuously charging up its lightning. Eventually, the creature's whole body was illuminated in brilliant flashes of golden light.
The area around started to completely blacken. Once the Whisker Lynx was at full charge, it opened its mouth and released a devastating lightning blast. The sheer power of the blast blew everything away in its wake. The pond evaporated, the air rippled, and the tall trees were broken through. This was not a level 4 or 5 monster; this was at least level 8 or above!
Alex felt there was no chance in hell that the figure would come out unscathed from such power. For sure, the figure would dodge the blast!
But contrary to his expectations, the figure held its position, moving its tail in front of it, and thickening the tail to the extent of its body.
'No freaking way is it planning on blocking that blast with its tail! That's impossible!!' Alex could no longer stand; his feet gave way, and his body fell to the ground due to the collision that rocked the forest.
After the blast subsided, Alex peeked through his fingers to see the results. And to his unbelievable shock, the figure stood there, nearly unscathed. The tail that received the damage changed to a reddish color, most likely due to the heat it absorbed; it was slightly damaged. But in mere seconds, the tail color changed back to its original forest green, and the skin burns and cuts caused by the blast were quickly regenerating, closing the wound.
The figure continued to walk toward the frightened Lynx, who expended all of its energy with that final blast. The monster knew it stood no chance, so it attempted an all-or-nothing attack, and now it was left powerless.
Once the figure was close enough, the monster tried swiping a few times with its claws, deflated of any of the power it showed before; the figure simply dodged each strike with ease; it was disheartening to watch.
Then, as if deciding the duel had lasted long enough, the figure moved its hands, held onto the two antennas, and, with a simple pull, completely ripped the lightning rods off the monster's head. And then, with the same two hands, placed them together and completely obliterated the Whisker Lynx's head with one downward motion.
Alex witnessed the whole thing. The display of brutality, mercilessness, and pure power. The figure was not just strong but in a league of its own. The ease with which it handled the Lynx, a creature that would have been a difficult opponent for the most experienced of hunters.
Afterward, the figure did something odd. With one finger, it sliced through the monster's ribcage, opened it up, and grabbed its heart. Then, in one motion, it opened its mouth and gulped down the Lynx's heart.
After a few seconds, the figure's body started to change slowly; it became a tiny bit smaller, but more importantly, it changed colors from green to dark blue. And then the figure looked to the sky, and, with force, expelled a large amount of energy into the sky, signaling its own transformation.
'Holy shit, did that thing just level up!? It can get even stronger?!' Alex was beyond shocked at this point, still sprawled on the floor, struggling to comprehend what he had just witnessed.
Suddenly, Alex heard a familiar voice, urgent and clear.
'ALEX, RUN NOW. RUN AWAY!'
As Alex tried to grasp what was happening, the figure turned its gaze towards his hiding spot, and it began to walk towards him… as if he was its next prey.