Evan had faced countless beasts over the past month, each battle a test of his skill, wits, and sheer will to survive. He had emerged victorious every single time.
Reason for this? His strategy.
His strategy was simple yet effective: assess the beast, judge its strengths, and determine his own chances of victory.
Only when he was confident in his odds would he engage.
Even in those unexpected encounters where a beast caught him off guard, he maintained at least a fifty percent chance of success by playing it safe, using his environment, and trusting in his abilities.
But this time it was different he knew that he could not win if he fought now. He also knew that this beast would not let him just retreat either. The beast wouldn't allow it. He would have to fight, but escape had to be his true goal—a goal that seemed increasingly out of reach.
Evan stared at the beast about ten meters away with his hand on the bluish sword on his back.
The beast, towering at three meters tall, bore a striking resemblance to a wolf, though it was far more menacing. Its eyes gleamed with a feral intelligence, and its body was riddled with fresh wounds, deep gashes that oozed blood and hinted at a recent, brutal battle.
Evan's mind raced as he connected the dots.
' It must have been injured during its fight with those five. '
Evan thought about the five dead beasts lying behind him.
' Maybe I have a chance. '
It was not a chance he had to win the battle, instead, he thought that he could escape alive.
He finally took a deep breath, calming himself down. Panic would only cloud his judgment, and in this situation, that could be fatal. He repeated to himself that he had a chance—however slim it might be—to escape.
Just then he saw the beast move.
The beast made in it front of Evan in just a second and not caring about the sharp sword in front of it, it threw its large claw at Evan.
Evan's instincts took over as he brought his sword up in a desperate attempt to block the incoming attack. He could only hope that this sword made of some unknown material could withstand the impact.
* Clang *
The impact was so powerful that it sent shockwaves up Evan's arms, nearly tearing the sword from his grasp. His hands went numb instantly, the force of the blow overwhelming his muscles and nerves.
He couldn't even feel his hands anymore!
But before he could thank that the sword held on, he saw another attack incoming from above aimed towards his head.
"....! "
Knowing that he could not block this one, Evan did what could have been best in that situation- he jumped side-wise and dodged it.
He hit the ground hard, rolling to create some distance between himself and the beast. His body screamed in protest as pain flared in his joints, but he forced himself to keep moving.
Both of them again stared at each other.
Beast was now cautious of the sword in Evan's hands as it managed to block its attack.
Evan, on the other hand, was thinking very hard about how to escape from here.
' I can only block it one more time, two max. '
Just then beast luged forward attempting to attack again and as if prepared for this attack Evan jumped back and rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding it.
But the mutated creature didn't stop there.
It pursued him relentlessly, giving him no time to recover. Evan barely had a moment to raise his sword before the beast was upon him again.
He swung the blade in a desperate arc, aiming for the beast's side.
The beast, as if expecting the move, twisted its body at the last second. It deflected the blow with its thick hide and then rolled to the side, bringing its powerful back legs into play. With a vicious kick, it struck Evan square in the stomach.
" Urgh! "
The force of the kick lifted Evan off his feet and sent him crashing into a nearby wall.
The impact was so brutal that for a moment, everything went black. Pain radiated from his back and sides, and he could feel the air being forced from his lungs.
" Cough Cough "
Evan couldn't help but gasped, spitting out a small amount of blood. His body was a wreck, bruised and battered from the impact, but his mind remained focused, driven by a singular thought: survive.
In all that pain Evan looked at the beast. To his surprise, it was standing still, watching him intently. There was something almost mocking in its eyes, as if it were savoring his suffering, biding its time before finishing him off.
' Is it..... making fun of me? '
' I have to move! '
In that state two items suddenly appeared in Evan's hand which looked almost identical.
Smoke and frag grenades!
These two were what he retrieved from the basement and haven't used yet!
He was waiting for the right moment to throw them at the beast from the very start. He actually knew that he couldn't escape this situation easily, he had to sacrifice these two.
He could have drawn Nightshade, the gun he had stored in the dimensional ring, but he hesitated. The gun's description claimed it could kill a Tier-8 beast and severely injure a Tier-7, but Evan wasn't sure of the beast's tier in front of him.
Even if he used the gun he would have severely injured himself because he didn't have the required armor. And If by any chance he had been unable to kill the beast, it would mean certain death for him. There would be no escape from that situation.
So he will not leave his chance of survival on some possibility, that he was not even sure about.
Seeing that the beast had started to move forward slowly Evan didn't miss the chance. He rolled the smoke grenade near him and threw the frag towards the beast.
* Soooooohhh *
* Boooommm *
The Frag grenade didn't miss its mark it blasted right in front of the Wolf-like beast.
" Argggggh "
It let out a painful scream.
Without waiting to see the full extent of the damage, Evan moved. The smoke provided just enough cover for him to slip out of the room, his body moving on autopilot as he dashed into the house just behind him.
His heart pounded in his chest as he ran, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He had successfully escaped the immediate danger, but he knew better than to assume he was safe. The beast would constantly look for him.
But for now, he was alive. He had survived, and that was enough.