The thick grass rustled in long, tense lines—something was definitely approaching.
"Damn it, mana sense!"
Siwoo quickly activated his skill. Instantly, a scorching surge of mana flared from the brush.
"That heat... That means this thing's got mana as strong as mine—or worse, way more."
He instinctively fell back into a defensive stance. His instincts screamed caution. Then—
Sssshhk—GRRRRRR—
Bursting through the waist-high grass came a monster.
A Bear Tiger.
With the head of a bear and a body marked by tiger stripes, the creature looked as deadly as its name. It wasn't huge—about the size of a leopard—but it radiated powerful mana. Worse, its liver was known to regenerate damaged human organs, making it a high-value target.
But only if you could kill it.
"A D-rank monster...? I thought there were none today!"
Siwoo remembered Minjun's confident voice from last night:
"Don't worry, bro! I'm the Prince of Fantauraus, remember? We studied the cosmos since we were kids. I know exactly what kind of monsters spawn on each planet!"
And yet here it was. A D-rank monster—a Bear Tiger.
Its attack power was estimated at 2,000 to 3,000. Siwoo's defense didn't even come close.
"I could die here."
His heartbeat thundered as adrenaline kicked in. Unlike the last battle with the Lysiteen, this time he felt genuine fear.
GRRRRR—
The Bear Tiger bared its vicious fangs and slowly advanced.
Stay calm.
Siwoo gripped his sword tight, forcing his trembling muscles to settle. The fear began to recede, and his senses sharpened.
He noticed the beast's gaunt belly, its mouth dripping with nasty saliva.
"You're hungry, huh? That makes two of us."
But this wasn't a negotiation.
GRRR...
The Bear Tiger crouched low, like a cat ready to pounce. At a glance, it looked like a typical four-legged predator.
It wasn't.
Hidden between its front and hind legs were small, dagger-like limbs, tucked beneath its belly—its real weapons. In combat, it dazzled opponents with flashy front paw attacks before slicing them apart with those hidden claws.
A terrifying, merciless predator.
"No choice. I'll have to fight."
Siwoo raised his sword.
Swish—
The Bear Tiger struck first, swinging its paw to knock his blade aside.
"Like hell you will!"
Siwoo darted back, narrowly dodging. This wasn't a duel—it was a predator's hunt. He had seen enough fights on the K-Hunter channel to know how this would go.
He wouldn't let it dictate the pace.
"Hyaah!"
Siwoo launched forward, taking the initiative. The Bear Tiger sprang into the air with astonishing agility—but Siwoo had anticipated that.
"Got you!"
He slashed diagonally, aiming for the landing point.
But the beast twisted midair and revealed its hidden claws.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as claw met steel.
"Ugh!"
His arms stung from the force, but he didn't give the monster any breathing room.
Swish—
He twisted his shoulders, aiming to stab the beast in its exposed belly.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The Bear Tiger shot even higher into the air—almost as if it stepped off an invisible platform. It flipped midair and landed behind Siwoo.
"Shit!"
CRACK!
A claw slammed into his side.
"Guh!"
Pain flared through his ribs as he staggered back. No time to recover—
The beast charged again.
CLANG!
He barely blocked it, like a car smashing into a man at full speed.
"HAAAH!"
He deflected another strike.
BANG! CLANG! SLAM!
Siwoo struggled to hold his ground.
Then—
SHLKT!
He felt a burning sting in his leg. Blood gushed. A deep slash.
Before he could react—
SWIPE!
Another claw raked across his back.
"Aagh!"
His leg was slowing him down, and the monster took full advantage.
Siwoo stumbled away, gasping, but the Bear Tiger hounded him relentlessly.
He couldn't keep this up.
(Ding—Your mana has dropped below 50%)
Too much mana had been burned too quickly.
He needed a breakthrough—and fast.
Then it came. A faint, itchy sensation spread through his body.
The power of Fantauraus—just like when he'd taken down Jang Dong-pil.
But unlike before, no new skill, no extra mana.
Just a tingle.
And the monster was still attacking—nonstop.
GRRR! SWIPE! BAM!
"Damn it. At this rate, I'll die!"
There was only one option left.
He grit his teeth.
"If I'm going out… I'm taking at least one of your legs with me."
His mind turned razor-sharp. His will hardened like steel.
Then—
WHOOSH!
His sword glowed red.
He felt it—vengeance.
(Vengeance!)
A whisper in his head. A hallucination? A memory? Didn't matter.
The Bear Tiger lunged.
"HRAAAH!!"
Siwoo swung his sword with everything he had.
The beast raised its claws to block—like it had done before.
But this time—
SLASH!
The glowing red blade sheared through the Bear Tiger's claw like a hot knife through butter.
ROAARRR!!
The monster howled in agony.
Siwoo dodged as its huge body came crashing down.
THUD!
The beast lost balance and tumbled.
A window—finally!
"Finish it."
Siwoo activated his attack skill and charged.
SCHWING!
He dove in, aiming for the neck.
SLASH!
The blade sliced clean through.
The Bear Tiger's head rolled across the ground, trailing blood.
"Haaah... haaah..."
Siwoo gasped for breath, body screaming in pain. Blood trickled from multiple wounds—his leg, side, back. Every muscle throbbed.
Still, he wasn't ready to relax.
"Is it really dead?"
He prodded the corpse with his sword.
No movement.
It was over.
Sure! Here's the continuation in the same style and tone as the previous part:
Dead.
Only then did Siwoo finally lower his guard.
"...Shit. That was crazy."
He collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat. His arms and legs were trembling, and his grip on the sword was nearly gone.
That wasn't just any beast.
That was a Bear Tiger.
And Siwoo had killed it.
Barely.
'Damn... that was a D-rank monster?'
His thoughts flashed back to Do Minjun's confident words.
—"Don't worry, hyung! I'm the Prince of Fantauros, remember? I've studied the stars since I was a kid! I know exactly which monsters spawn on which planet!"
Liar.
That bastard had guaranteed there wouldn't be anything stronger than an E-rank.
And yet here he was, having barely survived a D-rank beast that nearly gutted him.
'No wonder the mana felt so thick. It was practically oozing power.'
Now that the adrenaline was fading, the pain hit him all at once.
Legs—cut.
Ribs—bruised or worse.
Back—slashed.
Mana—down to fumes.
"Haah… just great."
But at least he was alive.
And the Bear Tiger was dead.
He dragged himself toward the corpse.
A chance like this wouldn't come again.
'The gall bladder... should still be intact.'
That part alone could fetch a fortune in the market, especially with its healing properties. For some, it was worth more than a high-tier potion. He had to retrieve it—no matter how much it hurt.
Still wincing, he raised his trembling hands, ready to carve into the beast.
But—
Thump.
A sound from the bushes.
His entire body stiffened.
Again...?
'No... please no.'
He tried to gather mana, but the system's notification flashed cold and merciless in his mind:
(띠링- 현재 마나 12%. 스킬 사용 불가.)
Twelve percent.
Not even enough to trigger a basic skill.
The rustling grew louder.
Sssak. Sassak...
But this time, it wasn't aggressive.
It was... cautious.
Then, a figure emerged—
Not a beast.
A person.
A woman, clad in dark-gray gear, her eyes sharp like blades.
She looked down at Siwoo, at the dead Bear Tiger, then whistled.
"Damn. You actually killed it?"
"…Who are you?"
She crouched next to him and smiled faintly.
"Hunter. Just like you. Name's Hana. I've been tracking this beast for three days."
She poked the corpse with her dagger.
"Didn't expect some random rookie to bring it down."
"I'm not a rookie…"
"Right. My bad. Just a nearly-dead guy who took down a D-rank alone. Respect."
Siwoo gritted his teeth. "If you're here for the corpse, back off. I killed it."
Hana raised an eyebrow. "Relax. I'm not here to steal your loot. In fact…"
She pulled out a healing capsule and tossed it to him.
"…you might want to use that before you bleed out."
He stared at her, suspicious. But the capsule was real. Expensive, too. High-grade emergency regen.
"…Why?"
"Let's just say I don't want to watch someone die right after pulling off something badass."
Siwoo didn't argue. He bit into the capsule, and warm energy flooded his veins.
His wounds began to knit—slowly but surely.
"…Thanks."
"No problem. But you owe me a story. How'd you survive that thing?"
Siwoo looked at the Bear Tiger's headless body, then at his trembling sword.
"…No idea. Just didn't want to die."