7 4 Star & 6 Star Monsters & Insidious Attacker

'I will clear out this forest.' Quhiyn decided even though he knew it was ridiculous and could be his end, however, he had a weightless arrogance stamping on any reason. Well, he wasn't totally without reason, he would retreat if he pushed himself enough.

Quhiyn walked far from the cave then sprinted through the dense forest. Even though he couldn't see clearly, he could hear and relied on his senses and instincts. Even though he didn't use any movement techniques, his speed was fast and flexible.

He jumped and dodged through the forest with a sharp gaze, looking for what to hunt. It didn't take him a minute to latch onto a shadow.

'That's a 4 Star Dual Pupil Wolf.' Quhiyn changed the trajectory of his sprint and rushed toward it, jumping from the fallen trunks.

The Dual Pupil Wolf noticed him too and rushed with a growl. Its black fur blended with the dark unlike its eyes shining with light-green dual pupils. It added a frightening charm to that on top of its sharp teeth and arched green horn. Moreover, it was half his size.

Quhiyn didn't stop even as the wolf lunged toward him with its claws and an open mouth. He gripped his sword firmly and swung with a hmph. The power was tremendous, far from what a 4 Star beast could generate.

The wolf was too slow and wasn't prepared for a burst of tremendous power. Quhiyn's sword easily sliced through its head. It couldn't even release a death howl. He moved on with a deep breath as his hands burned with pain. He wouldn't rest until he couldn't even walk an inch.

'This isn't enough for a breakthrough. I need to fight stronger beasts.'

With that in mind, he continued to sprint around. Under 10 minutes, he stood in front of a 6 Star Blood Snake. It was half a meter in width with blood-red scales. Around a meter in height, its large mouth with long protruding teeth would chill any disciple.

It hissed and swung its strong tail toward him. Quhiyn blocked it even though he could have dodged. He was pushed dozens of steps back. His arms were in tremendous pain but he yelled and rushed toward it. He glared.

The Blood Snake was enraged seeing the puny human's determination. It could sense his killing intent. How could a mere 5th Stage Cultivator dare to content against its mighty presence? It slithered toward him with great force to taste his blood.

Quhiyn snorted and jumped to its side at the last moment, another burst of speed that lit his legs on fire. He persevered through and swung with all his force at its scaly body, making a deep blue wound.

HISS!

The Blood Snake's seemingly nonexistent eyes glowed with a blue hue. Quhiyn had already seen the tail coming but still didn't dodge. This time, however, he flew back with a yell.

'This one is a little strong,' He snorted and stood up with ease. He shook his arms and body before lunging toward its head. He didn't care if he got bitten, he would still slash through.

It hissed and glided from the side, dodging the strike that had maneuvered toward its neck. Quhiyn bit down on his teeth and unleashed his entire strength on the strike, cleaving it in half before its drooling mouth could dig into his stomach.

It was a difference of only a few inches.

Quhiyn now had to take deeper and quicker breaths. His legs were a bit shaky similar to his arms suffering through pain that was not far from icicles piercing every second. His eyes were smaller now, like the edge of his bloody blue sword.

'Bastard!' He cursed and swung his sword back in an arc as a cold wind swept by his neck and back.

CLANG!

Was he striking steels?

He hmphed and struck one more, facing this invisible enemy. Whatever it was couldn't rid the presence of wind, a vital carrier of information to his extreme senses.

'This beast can avoid my eyes, hm and it even has such strong claws' Quhiyn ran through the list of beasts he was aware of but couldn't find any matching information. The beast was adept at blending. He couldn't see clearly but it was there right in front of him.

'Can you really defeat my senses honed from countless battles?' He snorted and rushed in with a furious heart.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Quhiyn was calm even through the flaming streaks of pain. He continued striking at it, neither letting it escape or get an advantage over him. It couldn't escape or else that would be its last step.

'Equal strength?' Quhiyn's eyebrows furrowed. That shouldn't be the case, it had to be weaker or stronger than him. There was an inherent imbalance nonexistent in this fight. Was the beast holding back? No. Was it a special beast? Mutated? Could be.

With Quhiyn's curiosity rubbed, his strikes became more intense. He wanted to see this creature. He wouldn't let it escape, he had made up his mind. He gripped his sword much firmer than before and struck more.

He narrowed his eyes and tried to catch a glimpse of this well-hid creature. Alas, he only felt the subtle wind rush toward him. Suddenly, Quhiyn charged in a blind direction even as the cold wind tore toward him.

He snorted and blocked at the last moment. He pressured with his sword, keeping a hold before he threw a powerful kick at the darkness. It was not far from striking a hard stone but the pain was bearable.

The creature crashed on the ground. Other than those sounds, the beast didn't make any sound. Quhiyn had already moved in with his sword, pointing toward it. If it tried to move, death would be next. The beast seemed to have realized that.

Quhiyn raised his eyebrows seeing the dark human figure with a dual-headed ax, gloved hands, black boots, and pants with a black robe concealing everything else. She was clutching her stomach and struggled to hold onto her ax.

"Remove your face cover," Quhiyn said in a deadpan tone. He had to consider her not understanding what he said. Surprisingly she did understand and slowly pulled her black mask that covered the entirety.

Even in the dark, Quhiyn could clearly see her purple-white skin, seemingly glowing. Even more surprising was her black hair that stood out in the dark. He held his breath and stared at her bluish-green eyes that sparkled with a tense splendor. Her light-violet lips were pinched together on her prominent jaw.

Although she was expressionless, Quhiyn did discern the determination in her eyes. He waited for half a minute. His eyes were cold and empty.

"Do you want to die or serve me? You have one minute to decide." Quhiyn said. Sure, he was curious but he would rather have her tell on her own than to force her. She had attempted to injure him which was enough of a reason for her demise. He wouldn't show mercy but if he also just killed her, that would be a waste when her power was similar to his. His curiosity and her usefulness were her saving grace.

"Hmph! Even in your dreams, I won't submit to you!" She narrowed her eyebrows at him, not believing he would kill her. With blind confidence in her allure, she wanted to get an advantage.

Quhiyn simply hmphed and swung his sword at her throat. It wasn't a threat, she could feel his killing intent. She was going to die, she couldn't believe that. Her heart wanted to crawl out of her mouth.

"No-" She screeched. She somehow spat a word out with her eyes tight shut. The voice was filled with dread. The sword halted at the skin. Purple blood flowed out.

"55, 56, 57, 58-" Quhiyn resumed the count, shocking her that rendered her speech incoherent. Her heart wanted to tear out of the chest as her body tensed up.

"I agree." She screeched. She was out of breath and almost peed herself from the sheer terrifying plight she dodged. She let out quick breaths and gazed at him with a tense expression.