A terrifying animal

The night was long. Cliff, as expected, didn't close his eyes; he simply pondered the least risky way to get out of this situation.

As the day broke, the young man with tanned skin tried to climb down the tree while keeping his eyes on the predator in front of him. He knew he was taking a risk by not watching where he stepped.

Nevertheless... this damn tree is really high, isn't it?

Cliff decided to trust his senses and instincts.

He let out a curse.

I should have learned how to climb trees.

It was so hard for me to climb up, and now going down is a whole other story.

As if to defy his will, destiny had other plans.

Cliff slipped...

Or rather, he fell!!

Cursing his luck, he desperately tried to grab onto the tree, but in vain...

From the top of this 20 to 25-meter tree, Cliff had fallen.

This was the first time Cliff had ever experienced such a string of bad luck: strange invocations, excruciating pain, an unfamiliar world, a chance encounter – had he really fallen so far?

He was fed up with it all.

Cliff stood up, feeling an itch on his ribs. Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore the sudden pain.

I've been through worse...

With his katana in hand, he continued on his path, cutting through vines and tree branches blocking his way, hoping to find something to sink his teeth into.

He cursed under his breath;

This forest is so dense, it feels never-ending... and it's been over half an hour since I started walking, am I lost? Am I just going in circles?

His stomach rumbled...

Cliff clenched his teeth, thinking;

anything, any animal will do, I'm starving damn it!!!

Behind the hedges near Cliff, he suddenly heard a noise, irregular and almost imperceptible movements hiding behind the leaves.

Cliff, who had noticed, was already on high alert, swearing to strike down any creature that tried to jump at his face.

The rustling of the leaves grew louder, sending shivers down his spine, but he remained focused, gripping his sword tightly in a defensive stance.

He waited... Cliff heard what sounded like approaching footsteps, fast and seemingly coming from multiple sources, but Cliff was certain he was alone and that the entity was trying to toy with him by circling around to instill fear, yet Cliff remained steadfastly focused.

Behind!!!

With all his strength, Cliff twisted his body on his sword, using fancy footwork to confront the abomination. Brandishing his katana, he managed to block the creature's claws. When he saw it, he couldn't help but shudder.

The abomination stood as tall as him, resembling a rabbit, except it had two protruding fangs, a sharp horn, and sharp 8 cm claws on its paws.

Cliff grimaced;

Terrifying... isn't it? It looks like it came straight out of a nightmare.

He kicked the creature, keeping his distance because physically the abomination was stronger than him.

Cliff leaped towards it, attacking the animal in an attempt to outpace it, but the creature was more agile. None of the strikes from his sword even grazed the abomination.

Cursed be you!!

Cliff was starting to lose his calm, fed up with slashing into thin air, but the powerful legs of this creature allowed it to easily jump out of range of his sword.

Think, think for God's sake, what way should I use to kill this bastard.

A claw missed his face, he twisted his body knowing he couldn't avoid it, Cliff was wounded in the shoulder which only fueled his anger further.

Cliff let out a groan of pain;

I'm going to kill you, too bad I don't have a pot to boil your meat in!!

Boil!?

Cliff's eyes widened, it was so obvious that he wondered how he had missed this solution, the problem was how to use it? By saying its name maybe?

He may have succeeded with his draining skill last time, it was almost instinctive, but who says it would work this time? He was in the midst of a battle against this terrifying creature.

Up until now, he had managed to overwhelm the abomination, striking it here and there without giving it the chance to attack. However, this could not last long as he was growing tired. He was severely lacking in energy and endurance.

Nevertheless, he had to try. Cliff resigned himself to giving it his all.

Cliff stopped attacking, took a step back, and allowed the beast to attack. When the beast drew near, he spat in its face...

Damn... what!? It worked!!!

Before Cliff's eyes, the beast, resembling a demonic version of a rabbit, was disoriented. One of the abomination's eyes, shining with crimson light, was now just a gaping hole, melted by the acid Cliff had thrown at it.

Not giving the beast time to realize what was happening, the sound of his sword whistled through the air, cutting off an arm.

The animal let out a cry, which startled Cliff, who was focused on slaying the accursed creature. Seeing its blood flowing, the abomination charged with its fangs to finish off its prey... or rather, its adversary, since a prey would not have been able to harm it in such a state.

Perhaps because the threat of death was imminent, but the beast was now taking its adversary seriously. There was no more playing with its prey; it was more ferocious, more determined, more... terrifying.

But Cliff was equally terrifying. He parried or dodged every blow from the abomination, the strikes heavy with murderous intent. His wrists ached, but he knew that if he let go even for a second, it could cost him his life, and that was something he could not allow.

He had the advantage after all.

He was smarter than the beast, he had two arms and his eyes were in perfect condition so he couldn't afford to lose.

Cliff roared, 'You're going to die, aren't you?'

Putting all his strength into his strikes, he finally managed to cut off the claws of the terrifying horned rabbit. He twisted his wrist and severed the other arm of the animal. The beast screamed, lost its balance, and fell. Cliff climbed on top of it and plunged his sword into the abomination's chest.

The beast struggled but in vain; it gradually calmed down, losing its strength as it moaned in pain. Cliff removed the katana from the creature's chest and stabbed it again... and again.

Cliff unleashed all his frustrations on the creature, all his hatred, all the questions he couldn't find answers to. Cliff wanted to ask them but held himself back.

At one point, he heard a familiar voice announcing to him:

["You have killed a beast; horned rabbit."]

["Your mana has increased."]

Cliff felt an unknown energy coursing through his veins, making him feel strong as if all his fatigue was gradually disappearing. He wanted to focus on this energy entering his body as if it had always been there, dispersed in the environment.

Suddenly, the mysterious voice startled him when it announced:

["Your sword has evolved."]

Evolved!? My katana has evolved, huh!? Seriously, I think I'm really going crazy. I never wanted to admit it, but it's so obvious, isn't it!? I'm truly in another world!!

He could feel the weight of his sword decrease in his hands, becoming lighter, sharper, more deadly...

A smile formed on his lips.

With that, he was no longer in mortal danger, at least for the moment...

From the creature's chest, Cliff pulled out a crystal ball containing the essence of the accursed horned monster. It was the size of his palm, unlike the crimson crystal of the "slime", this one appeared even more vibrant.

Cliff tucked it into his pocket, deciding to absorb it later as there were more pressing matters at hand; he needed to eat.

While walking, Cliff spotted a small cave and decided to settle there for the time being. Starting a fire in the middle of the forest could be dangerous, considering the strange creatures inhabiting this unknown forest.

He couldn't afford to be reckless.

With this determination in mind, Cliff gathered some dry branches and dead leaves, preparing to start a fire. In this forest, the days were beautiful and cool, but the nights turned bitterly cold.

Last night his mind was too preoccupied to feel the cold; he had to constantly monitor his breathing, avoid sudden movements, to prevent signaling his presence to his host who hadn't even invited him.

He took out a lighter from his pocket. It had been about three years since he quit smoking, but he still kept it with him. It was a gift from his ex, given nonchalantly, but for Cliff, it was precious.

Even though she had left him, Cliff cherished the moments spent with her as the best days of his life.

After all, she was the one who had deflowered him.

Who would have thought that it would save my life one day? I don't even know how to make fire from scratch...

Cliff felt a sense of warmth as the fire was lit. He carefully prepared his meat and placed it on the fire.

While cooking his rather hearty meal, Cliff realized that it was now time for him to absorb the essence of his former adversary. He could no longer delay it; it was high time for him to acquire new abilities. The more he had in his arsenal, the better his chances of survival would be.