The beast didn't rush to attack.

  In those crimson orbs, the silhouette of Kane kneeling in the muck was reflected—as if it were assessing him, or perhaps enjoying the scent of a prey’s terminal terror.

  The stench of rot from the depths of the bog, mixed with the musky, gamey odor unique to the giant rat, crawled into his nostrils, making his stomach cramp.

  Kane remained motionless.

  He simply tightened his grip on the notched dagger, locking his gaze onto the behemoth before him. His mind raced with absolute, freezing clarity.

  The method of attack was clear now.

  Mid-air redirection and a second burst of force—that was the creature’s true killing move.

  The mire restricted his speed, but it also limited the [ Phase-Rat ]'s ability to sprint on the ground.

  It relied on vertical strikes.

  Whoosh—!

  The [ Phase-Rat ] moved!

  This time, it didn't jump vertically.

  Its thick hind legs kicked off the mud, launching its body like a black cannonball, screaming across the ground!

  More bizarrely, it carved an arc through the air that defied common logic.

  In an instant, the stench of blood was at his face!

  Kane’s pupils shrank as his body twisted to the side by instinct.

  His reaction was already at its limit.

  But the beast's speed and redirection were entirely beyond the realm of biology.

  Clang—!

  A piercing screech of metal on metal erupted, sending sparks flying.

  The [ Phase-Rat ]'s claws, comparable to steel hooks, slammed heavily into Kane’s raised armguard. The massive force caused him to stumble.

  The [ Basilisk Stone Armor ] held.

  The claws that could tear through iron plates only left several deep, pale scratches on the dark green scales.

  But the attack had only just begun!

  At the exact moment of impact between claw and armor, the [ Phase-Rat ]'s other muscular hind leg suddenly kicked off Kane’s armguard with savage force!

  Thump!

  A dull, heavy explosion of sound.

  Kane felt as if his arm had been struck head-on by a battering ram.

  Using the counter-force, the [ Phase-Rat ]'s body twisted in mid-air at an angle that defied every law of mechanics. It became a black blur of shadow, carrying a thousand pounds of momentum as it kicked straight for Kane’s chest!

  The Second Step!

  It had treated its enemy's body as a springboard for its second burst of power!

  The muscles in Kane’s chest tightened to their absolute limit.

  Crack!

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  The breastplate emitted a sharp snap, visibly denting inward.

  The peerless, savage force penetrated the scales and slammed into his chest. His internal organs felt as though they had been displaced by the shock of the kick.

  He was sent flying backward by the sheer power.

  His feet plowed two deep furrows into the mud. He retreated seven or eight steps before he finally dissipated the terrifying momentum and stabilized himself.

  A metallic sweetness rose in his throat, and a trace of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

  If the [ Basilisk Stone Armor ] hadn't absorbed the majority of the impact, that single kick would have shattered his ribs and heart into splinters.

  Kane didn't wipe away the blood.

  He just stared deathly at the [ Phase-Rat ], which was coiling for another attack. His gaze was terrifyingly dark.

  This style of combat wasn't just animal instinct.

  It was a predatory technique, evolved to the extreme, efficient to a sickening degree.

  He couldn't dodge it.

  Since he couldn't dodge it, he would close the distance!

  Without a moment's hesitation, Kane stomped his foot, causing the mud to explode. He actually initiated a charge toward the [ Phase-Rat ]!

  His dagger traced a cold arc in the dim light, stabbing directly toward the beast's ribs!

  A flicker of shock crossed the [ Phase-Rat ]'s cunning eyes.

  In its hunting life, every prey had either been killed instantly or paralyzed by fear. This was the first time it had seen one dare to counter-attack.

  Its reaction was instantaneous. Its tail, thicker than an iron rod, whipped out, kicking up a spray of mud as it lashed toward Kane’s head like a steel whip!

  Kane tilted his head.

  The foul-smelling tail swept past his faceplate, the resulting wind pressure stinging his cheek.

  In that exact same instant.

  Puchu!

  The dagger in his hand plunged—without a millimeter of error—straight into the [ Phase-Rat ]'s side!

  "Skreeeeee—!!!"

  A heart-wrenching shriek erupted.

  The agony completely ignited the beast's primal fury. Its massive body began to thrash and roll frantically in the mire, attempting to shake off this human "parasite" attached to its flank.

  Kane, however, gripped the dagger with a death-lock. Like a maggot in the bone, he allowed the creature to drag him through the mud, slamming and rolling with every frantic movement.

  The plates of the [ Basilisk Stone Armor ] ground against the earth, producing a tooth-aching skree-crunch sound.

  He ignored it all.

  The [ Phase-Rat ]'s claws raked wildly across his body. His armguard deformed under the pressure, and several connecting scales snapped off, their jagged metal edges biting deep into his own flesh.

  A searing, burning pain radiated from his arm.

  Kane acted as if he had no sense of pain.

  Driven by a ruthlessness carved into his very marrow, he pressed his entire body weight onto the dagger, driving it deeper into the beast's vitals.

  Gradually, the [ Phase-Rat ]'s struggles weakened.

  Its massive frame gave a few violent spasms before finally going limp in the sludge.

  The light rapidly drained from those crimson eyes.

  Covered in blood and gasping for air, Kane slid off the corpse and collapsed onto one knee in the mud.

  His right arm shook uncontrollably from the trauma.

  Gritting his teeth against the pain, he labored to pull his arm out of the mangled armguard. The wound was deep enough to see bone, and blood mixed with filth gurgled out.

  He glanced at the clear claw-indentation on his armguard, then at the even more severe spider-web cracks on his breastplate.

  This set of armor, which had just saved his life, was trashed.

  Next time, he wouldn't be so lucky.

  Wasting no time, he immediately crouched down. Using his notched dagger, he skillfully began harvesting the [ Phase-Rat ]'s most valuable parts: the hind-leg tendons and the claws.

  His movements were fast and precise.

  Yet, his entire focus remained fixed on the cooling corpse, sensing for that ethereal gift that might appear.

  His breathing was shallow, as if he feared disturbing a descending miracle.

  One second.

  Ten seconds.

  One minute.

  The tendons and claws were processed and packed.

  Not a single spark of light emerged from the corpse.

  The world remained deathly silent.

  Kane’s face remained expressionless; beneath the shadow of his helmet, his features were unreadable.

  He had paid the price of an injury and the destruction of his [ Basilisk Stone Armor ], only to come away empty-handed.

  This path to power was even narrower and more brutal than he had imagined.

  He silently withdrew his gaze, pulled out a pouch of hemostatic powder, and crudely dumped it onto his wound.

  The intense stinging caused the veins on his forehead to bulge, but he didn't even flinch. Using his teeth and his one good hand, he yanked the cloth bandage tight.

  The pain only served to sharpen his focus.

  Once bandaged, he did not leave.

  Instead, he replayed the battle in his mind.

  The second step.

  The defensive limits of the Basilisk Stone Armor.

  The flaws in his own response.

  Next time, he had to completely neutralize the beast before it could complete its second burst of power.

  He stuffed the [ Phase-Rat ] materials into his pack. Feeling the rhythmic throbbing of pain in his arm, his gaze became even sharper and more dangerous than when he first entered the restricted zone.

  One wasn't enough.

  Then he would kill ten.

  Or a hundred.

  Until that goddamn skill appeared.

  He oriented himself, and dragging his injured arm, he limped—with absolute resolve—deeper into the Silt Flats.

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