Just then, the river suddenly surged, its surface no longer as calm as before—something was clearly wrong.
Blayn suspected that another Danger Beast was about to appear.
"Oh, just in time!"
Esdeath, on the other hand, seemed already certain of the Danger Beast's presence. Without hesitation, she drew her longsword from the rock, sending her silver-blue hair whipping through the air as an intense battle aura erupted from her.
In the next moment, a massive fish-shaped Danger Beast leaped out of the water. It was at least four or five meters long, its disproportionately large headlined with rows of razor-sharp teeth. Its gaping maw lunged toward the nearest target—Esdeath.
"Level 3 Danger Beast..."
A cold, arrogant smile curled Esdeath's lips, tinged with confidence and disdain.
Without a hint of hesitation, she launched herself forward, her agile form soaring several meters into the air. Her sword pierced through the fish's open mouth and emerged from the top of its skull, cutting straight through its head.
That single strike was nearly fatal.
Esdeath moved with blinding speed. The moment she withdrew her sword, she delivered several more slashes, effortlessly dismembering the fish-shaped Danger Beast into large chunks.
This wasn't mere overkill—she was preparing the meat for dinner later.
An ordinary observer wouldn't even be able to track her movements with the naked eye. But Blayn was far from ordinary—through his Mangekyō Sharingan, Esdeath's actions appeared significantly slowed, as if playing out in slow motion.
He couldn't help but think that Esdeath was truly formidable, and for some reason, she gave him a strangely dangerous feeling...
"Well, that takes care of dinner, but there sure are a lot of Danger Beasts around here."
Esdeath let out a slight sigh.
Several more Danger Beasts had already surrounded them—it seemed this area was teeming with them.
Fortunately, none were Special-Class Danger Beasts, meaning there was no real pressure in dealing with them.
Even without a Teigu, Esdeath's raw physical prowess and combat skills were formidable.
At that moment, Blayn began to move as well.
He yanked out one of the massive teeth from the fish-shaped Danger Beast. As expected of a Danger Beast, even a single tooth was about a meter long, looking exceptionally hard and razor-sharp.
"What are you doing?"
Esdeath immediately asked, curious about his actions.
"Using its tooth as a weapon."
Blayn replied plainly.
He couldn't afford to rely too much on the Double Kamui's Dōjutsu just yet.
While his left eye's Kamui offensive ability could instantly kill any of the Danger Beasts before him, he had just used Intangibility earlier. Using another eye technique so soon without sufficient rest would put too much strain on his body.
Besides, he was wary of Esdeath. He felt it best not to reveal any signs of weakness in front of such a dangerous woman.
Besides, the base abilities of the Mangekyō Sharingan were already overpowered enough. Beyond enhanced vision, its most crucial feature was its predictive insight—he could foresee an enemy's movements before they even happened.
For instance, if an opponent so much as raised a hand, he could deduce their next move based on micro-expressions and muscle tension, making their actions appear much slower in his eyes.
His ability to copy techniques and see through illusions relied on this same insight.
These core abilities alone were already broken enough.
Blayn decided to rely on close combat for now, just like Esdeath. He wasn't necessarily incapable of fighting Danger Beasts without his eye techniques—this was the perfect chance to test his own strength.
"So your Teigu isn't very offensive?"
Esdeath asked, slightly surprised.
She seemed to have already assumed that Blayn's abilities came from a Teigu.
At the same time, her appreciation for him grew. This young man—who appeared even younger than herself—remained calm in the face of numerous Danger Beasts. Even without a weapon, he was resourceful enough to fashion one from a slain beast.
Blayn, who had no idea what a Teigu was, didn't bother responding. With an expressionless face, he gripped the fish tooth tightly and charged toward the Danger Beasts.
Hunting Danger Beasts earned him System Points—this was his primary motivation for fighting.
Esdeath, on the other hand, held back, curious to see how he would fare without using his so-called Teigu.
Blayn's first target was a relatively small plant-type Danger Beast—a grotesque, towering green flower that stood even taller than him. Its massive, gaping mouth could easily swallow him whole.
For now, he decided to call it a "man-eating flower."
Suddenly, the man-eating flower lashed toward him with astonishing speed. Its stalk could freely extend and retract, stretching several meters in an instant.
Anyone unfamiliar with this ability would be caught off guard—falling prey to the flower's trap and becoming its next meal.
However, the moment the man-eating flower made the slightest pre-attack motion, Blayn's Mangekyō Sharingan caught it.
With perfect timing, he leaped into the air, narrowly dodging the strike. Then, as he descended, he landed precisely atop the creature's head, driving the fish tooth into its stalk.
When stretched to its limit, the stalk became thin and fragile—only about the width of an arm. The makeshift weapon sliced through it with ease.
Boom!
The man-eating flower's massive head crashed to the ground. A fountain of blood gushed from the severed stalk, but Blayn sidestepped just in time to avoid being splattered.
[Ding! The host has slain a Level 4 Danger Beast. Reward: 1 System Point!]
Blayn had efficiently taken down his first Danger Beast. But he had no time to rest—another one was already charging at him.
Using the fallen man-eating flower's head as a springboard, he pushed off with a strong kick and flipped backward—just in time to see two long, scythe-like mantis claws slicing through the spot where he had just been standing.
Had he reacted a moment slower, he would have been cleaved in half.
"That was close..."
Blayn mentally noted the danger.
Fortunately, his Cheat was Double Kamui. Even relying only on its base abilities, he could still handle this situation with ease.
Without hesitation, he drove the fish tooth into the mantis-like Danger Beast's neck, cleanly severing its head.
As the head hit the ground, another notification rang in his mind.
[Ding! The host has slain a Level 4 Danger Beast. Reward: 1 System Point!]
However, his makeshift weapon had already developed visible cracks. At this rate, it would break after just a few more uses.
Undeterred, he yanked the mantis beast's front claws from its corpse. These scythe-like appendages would serve as his new weapons.
Meanwhile, Esdeath, who had been silently observing the entire fight, found herself increasingly impressed.
This young man had talent. With a Teigu, he had the potential to rise to the rank of a General.