Ronan's survival skills were close to zero, but the demon dog's body was made for meat. Due to his incompetence, he'd lost a lot of weight in just two weeks, his body now looking like a bag of bones barely covered by fur.
Things were getting worse and worse. That day, Ronan collapsed under a tree, smelling the increasingly strong stench of rot around him.
It wasn't his imagination—the smell was coming from his own body. Although he was still "alive," the demon dog's body was decaying, starting with his toes. It couldn't hold out much longer. If it weren't for the extra demonic aura he'd been using to patch himself up these past few days, he would've already been reduced to just a skeleton by now.
Ronan felt a deep sense of unease. He didn't know whether the death of this body would mean the permanent end of his consciousness as well.
But there was nothing Ronan could do to change anything. On the day Kael died, he became fully aware of his own powerlessness.
"Roar!~"
Just as he was wallowing in despair, a sudden roar echoed from deep within the forest, startling a flock of birds into the sky.
"Roar!"
The roar sounded again, followed by a burst of intense light from that direction. It wasn't coming from the sky, but rather flashing like silver snakes between the trees. After the light faded, countless bolts of lightning danced among the branches, sparks flying as they moved.
But it was broad daylight!
Ronan instantly leaped up from the ground. He knew he should avoid it, but for some reason, his body charged straight toward the source of the disturbance. Maybe it was curiosity. His speed wasn't slow, and within five minutes, he reached the scene.
When he arrived, he found a large area of trees scorched black, the ground riddled with craters. There were bloodstains and fragments of broken armor scattered everywhere.
Ronan crouched low and cautiously crept closer. Soon, he realized that the center of the commotion was caused by some "old acquaintances"—several dozen mercenaries were fighting against a demon bear. Ronan could tell it was a demon bear because, first, its size was unnaturally massive, and second, it was surrounded by a faint black aura.
This demon bear species is called Sanguibearus.
Unlike the demonic creatures that had previously been captured by humans, this Sanguibearus was not at a disadvantage, even though it was surrounded by an entire mercenary group. In just half a minute, it had swiped its paw and killed two more mercenaries.
Ronan hid in a nearby bush, feeling the ground tremble as the Sanguibearus moved. He watched this scene as the ferocious human warriors he had seen before were easily torn apart, while the human archers launched arrows that proved utterly useless.
The arrows that had once pierced Kael's chest now seemed no more effective than mosquito bites against the mountain-like Sanguibearus's body. Its body was not only covered in thick fur but also packed with solid, impenetrable muscles. Arrows, and even the warriors' swords, barely scratched it. And even those shallow wounds were healed in the blink of an eye.
Ronan watched this scene in shock. Soon, he saw silver lightning again, this time coming from a human dressed in a gray robe.
A gray robe?
Ronan had already recognized this group of mercenaries as the same ones who had killed Kael that night. Ignoring the others, his attention was solely fixed on the man in the gray robe.
Only this person's attack could make the demonic bear feel pain. It burst through the encirclement, ignoring everyone else and charging straight toward the human. The man in the gray robe was caught off guard and was sent flying by the bear's headbutt.
Ronan felt a bit nervous as he watched the hood slide off the man's head... It wasn't the person he was looking for.
"Protect the mage!" the mercenary captain shouted. They were in a tough spot; they had originally planned to retreat from the Black Forest but ended up lost, leading them to encounter this awakened high-level demonic creature.
Their mercenary group wasn't strong enough to handle such a level of threat, and they had sent out distress signals. Unfortunately, it seemed that no other human teams were nearby to provide timely assistance.
They wanted to run, but the recent massacre had stirred the demonic creatures in the Black Forest, making them much more aggressive and harder to deal with than before. In just twenty minutes of encountering the Sanguibearus, the mercenary group had already suffered heavy casualties. The captain felt the most heartbroken over losing one of the only two mages in their team just moments ago.
The mage had been knocked out by the bear, and unlike warriors, his body wasn't as robust. He had already succumbed before hitting the ground.
"Protect Mr. Troia!" the captain yelled, running in that direction.
Ronan then noticed that behind the crowd, there was another man dressed in a gray robe.
The man raised his hand, his lips rapidly moving as he chanted a spell, similar to what Ronan had seen that night. A wall of fire materialized out of nowhere, blocking the path of the Sanguibearus.
Temporarily halted by the flames, the bear turned around and smashed several iron cages, killing some of the demonic creatures inside while others finally escaped from the distorted cages.
Several carts were overturned by the Sanguibearus, and Ronan suddenly jolted. He saw that one of the cages contained Kael's friend.
It was a three-eyed demon, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention. Ronan rushed toward the cage.
The Sanguibearus was only momentarily blocked by the wall of fire; after losing its frenzy, it charged straight through.
When Ronan reached the distorted cage, he used both his claws and mouth to force the cage door open. The three-eyed demon was barely breathing and stared at him in surprise.
"Run," Ronan whispered.