Hard-earned victory

A young man stood vigilantly in front of a horned beast.… well, to be honest, he was shaking a little bit. Taking a glance behind his back, he saw Mira and the children standing perfectly still, not knowing what to make of the situation.

After all, they were sheltered children and even Mira had probably never seen a beast her entire life. Being an herbalist was a very safe job, especially with the hunters clearing out the beasts around the village routinely.

While a horned rabbit might look like an innocent little harmless animal, it was still a beast capable of killing. Ken didn't know how a stray beast managed to get to a designated safe area, but he knew it was not the right time to ponder about the issue.

When he redirected his gaze from the frightened elves to the beast, it was no longer in its previous position. Ignoring Ken, the horned beast made a beeline toward the easy prey behind him.

'Not on my watch.'

Ken swiftly reacted and swung his dagger with the intent to slice the beast's neck off. However, the horned rabbit noticed it and dodged, but not fast enough to completely evade Ken's blow. He successfully managed to cut off the upper portion of its left ear which was by no means fatal, but it succeeded in angering the vermin.

The horned rabbit stared at Ken with its eyes full of murderous intent. Now, Ken had its undivided intention. His traumatized mind told him to run away immediately, but he couldn't do that right now. He was not alone and there was no Serina around to come save them all.

He had to stand his ground firmly.

While a dagger and leather armor were not the best choice for a defensive strategy, Ken had to try his best to hold the vermin back.

Noticing the beast taking a deep breath, Ken rolled on the ground. Sure enough, a roar was shortly let out by the foul beast, missing Ken by a hair's breadth. The children and Mira weren't as lucky though, because they took the full brunt of the roar and got stunned in place… not that they were moving in the first place.

It was quite curious how a relatively small beast could produce a roar like that…

'Maybe it's a skill?'

Almost instantaneously, Ken shifted his attention from those passing thoughts to focus intently on the enemy standing before him. After all, he was in a battle. Looking away from the foe meant certain death.

The beast pounced at Ken, intending to skewer his heart on its horn. Unlike last time at the small clearing near the stream, Ken wasn't injured and he still had much of his stamina.

He easily dodged the beast's attack, but that turned out to be a detrimental decision. The vermin didn't stop when its charge missed Ken and continued to run toward the defenseless elves.

'Crap.'

Instinctively, Ken threw the dagger at the horned rabbit in the hopes of stopping it in its tracks. The steel dagger cut through the air and lodged itself into the beast's right side, momentarily stunning it. However, it shook off the dagger as soon as it regained its senses and turned toward the elves with enmity.

Yet, it did not see the elves. All it saw was a young man assuming a defensive stance, ready to brawl with the wounded vermin. The short moment of respite allowed Ken to reposition himself properly between his enemy and the people he had to protect.

Letting out a livid growl, the beast propelled itself forward. Unable to dodge, Ken held up his left hand and hoped for the best.

Moments later, a rush of crimson blood spilled from his hand, impaled thoroughly by the beast's horn. The horn had become firmly lodged in his hand. Gritting his teeth, he gripped the horn as more blood spurted out from the punctured wound. The beast was now trapped.

With his free right hand, Ken repeatedly struck at the wounded side of the beast. Thrusting his hand into the gaping injury left by the dagger, he acted as if his hand were a blender and ravaged the beast's insides, further worsening the terrible laceration.

Of course, the horned vermin did not just stand still as it took damage. The beast scratched with its claws, kicked with its powerful hind limbs, and twisted and turned to get away from this deadly lock. After a while, it managed to get out of Ken's hold and jumped back a few feet away from its foe.

Ken looked at his mangled hand which was now a few strands of flesh away from being torn in half. A profound gash stretched from the juncture of his middle and ring fingers down to the center of his palm, where the accursed horn had mercilessly impaled him. Amidst the crimson coating of his hand, a few white spots could be seen through the mutilated flesh.

The rest of his body presented no better sight. His armor was torn in many places and blood oozed from countless small injuries caused by the vermin's scratches. Bruises adorned his pale body, indicating the internal damage wrought by the beast's merciless kicks.

However, his enemy seemed to be in the same condition as he was in… or maybe even worse.

The pristine white fur of the horned rabbit was now tainted with a crimson hue. The horrifying gash on its side threatened to rend the vermin in twain. Some of its innards loomed perilously close to spilling forth.

The beast tried to let out a growl but all it came out was rugged and heavy breathing. The vermin was exhausted… and so was Ken. Taking a glance at his terrified cohort, he let out a sigh and picked up his dagger.

'I can kill it… It's doable.'

Reassuring himself, he carried his heavy body and swung the dagger, determined to deliver a final decisive blow. However, the beast did not comply and still fought back. It rushed forward and pierced Ken's leg in a desperate bid to bring him down.

Unfortunately for the beast, Ken refused to topple down and stood firmly. In a swift and calculated motion, he brought the dagger down and slit the neck of the horned rabbit cleanly. The vermin struggled briefly, its life force waning, before ultimately succumbing to its fate.

Crimson blood covered the green landscape, and the once ferocious beast now lay defeated at Ken's feet. He was victorious.

As if to praise his accomplishment a familiar noise rang inside his head.

'Ding!'

[You have slain a horned rabbit.]

[You have leveled up.]

[Your skills have leveled up.]

[You have obtained a Job.]

[You have unlocked Stat.]

However, Ken couldn't pay attention to any of the messages. Pulling out the horn from his leg and pushing the defeated beast aside, his gaze shifted toward the group of kids. Some of them were in tears, and some looked at Ken with awe as if they were looking at a hero who saved them from doom… Well, he did protect them from the wild beast almost at the cost of his own life.

However, most of the children stood still in fear akin to startled chickens, unsure of what had just transpired. His eyes darted around in search of Mira, but she was nowhere to be seen.

'I hope she finds the hunters…'

As Ken's gaze turned inward, he couldn't help but notice the toll the battle had taken on his own body. His legs had long since given in to the strain and injury, leaving him now kneeling before the lifeless corpse of the horned rabbit.

Now that the fight was over and the adrenaline rush had receded, the pain from countless wounds on his body started to overwhelm his broken mess of a body. The exhaustion that had been building throughout the fight now reached its peak as he could feel his strength slipping away.

Unable to keep his body upright, he fell down to the ground as his vision turned blurry. Soon, Ken's world suddenly surrendered to darkness as he succumbed to the void of unconsciousness...

***

"Argh… Bright…'

Ken was back inside his room, tired but somehow refreshed. Pain invaded his body as soon as he woke up. Still, pain was good. It meant that he was still alive…

'I survived… haha… I did it.'

After doing a victory dance in his mind, he took a glance at his battle injuries. To his surprise, the terrible wounds were gone with only faint scars remaining in their place. He was finally able to let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a child-like voice spoke to him.

"You awake? Your wounds were pretty nasty so it's better to take it easy for now…"

Ken followed the source of the mysterious voice and he found its owner shortly after. It was a young elf wearing an oversized white robe. She was holding one of the herbs that Ken had picked up before disaster struck, and scrutinizing it with great interest.

"I gotta say, you are pretty good at gathering herbs despite your looks… And also, I'm the one who healed your sad excuse of a body so feel free to thank me."

The young elf spoke with a smug look on her porcelain face.

"What's with this sassy elf child?"

Immediately, the atmosphere changed and the temperature inside the room dropped by several degrees. Ken could even see his own breath!

'Shit, did I say that out loud?'

Before he could apologize, a loud voice reverberated inside his humble abode.

"I'M NOT A CHILD!!!"

The girl's shout held so much power that the whole house shook from the impact.