Nightmare Mutant

Even without transforming into his true form, Grim is many times stronger and faster than an ordinary wolf. How strong will it be after transformation? He was really looking forward to it. 

Not to mention, if he can get dozens or hundreds of such pets, wouldn't he himself have a powerful army? Then he would be looking forward to who dares to mess with him in this life.

"Oh my god, Ash, your pet wolf is too strong! How can it be this fast and powerful?" Jin exclaimed, clearly astonished after witnessing Grim in action.

"Of course! Do you really think Grim is just an ordinary wolf?" Ash replied with a smirk.

"Come here, Grim. Good boy, nicely done," he said as Grim came running back. He quickly patted the wolf's head, his pride in Grim unmistakable.

Adam also came close and rubbed its back, as it wasn't the first time they met, but when Jin tried, it growled, clearly showing it was annoyed. 

"Tch, annoying wolf." 

But just as Jin finished speaking, Grim's tail whipped through the air like a lash and smacked Jin right across the cheeks.

Clap!

"Damn it! Wolf, believe it or not, I'll roast you alive!" Jin yelled, clutching his face, half angry and half in disbelief.

"Okay, stop it; let's take the loot and move forward." Ash stopped them from fighting and then moved ahead.

Two of them stopped fighting and started to find their next target. They move around for three hours and find some small animals and have some archery practice. But not find anything big.

Just as they were about to leave, a powerful beast's roar echoed through the forest. It was unlike anything they had ever heard before, and it shook them to their core. From the sheer intensity of the roar, they could tell it belonged to an extraordinarily ferocious and powerful creature.

Adam and Jin froze, fear evident on their faces, but Ash and Grim were unfazed. With Ash now a second-rate martial artist, combined with his motion-capturing ability from his eyes and Grim's formidable presence, he felt confident. He believed that even if they faced one or two beasts on par with first-rate martial artists, they could handle it.

"Don't worry; Grim and I can handle it. You two just stay behind, and if the situation becomes dangerous, run. Don't try to help me or do anything else—you'd only get in the way," Ash said calmly, his tone blunt and direct.

He didn't sugarcoat his words. In dangerous situations, only by understanding the harsh truth could one survive. Those who acted recklessly or tried to play the hero didn't last long.

Both of them nodded, although they weren't the smartest bunch, they understood the simple meaning.

The group continued, and after slowly and carefully moving a few hundred meters, they finally saw the source of the roar, but it just wasn't what they had expected.

"What the fuck!"

All of them were shocked, but this movement seemed to be noticed by others, but thankfully they hid themselves behind the gigantic trees. 

However, what they saw left them utterly shocked. Though it was the roar that had drawn them there, the beast was already dead. Something far more ferocious was tearing into its raw body, chewing loudly. Even from a distance, they could hear the sickening crunch of bones and the wet tearing of flesh.

Ash was the most shaken. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the creature—something that shouldn't exist in this world. His face grew pale with terror as recognition dawned on him. He knew exactly what it was.

"Nightmare Mutant!" he whispered, his voice trembling. "How is this thing here in this world? Didn't it only appear in my previous world... after its destruction?"

"Ahh, what?" Jin, beside himself, seems to hear something, but he quickly changes his expression.

"Let's leave." He quickly said without telling them more.

Both of them were a bit confused, seeing the change feeling a bit confused, but they didn't ask, as just from the change they could guess the weird thing chewing the beast wasn't an easy thing.

Just as they were about to flee, Ash and Grim suddenly sensed danger. From above, a shadowy, black mist-like figure leapt down toward them, its movements swift and deadly.

"Move!" Ash roared, yanking Adam and Jin back just in time.

Grim, reacting instantly, jumped mid-air to intercept the figure.

Bang!

The collision echoed through the forest as Grim's powerful claw met the creature, but surprisingly the powerful claw that can tear most beasts' flesh didn't do much as they landed on the land.

"What the hell is this?" Adam and Jin were shocked as they had never seen something like this.

The creature standing before them appeared humanoid, at least in shape, but its features were far from human. Its entire body was covered in black scales, and an ominous black mist clung to it, seeping out from its eyes, nose, and mouth like a living shadow.

It was something horrifying—an amalgamation of flesh and weirdness, radiating an eerie aura that made them all deeply uncomfortable as if their very instincts were warning them of something disgusting.

"You two, run! This isn't something you can help me with," Ash said sharply, leaving no room for argument. Without waiting for their response, he activated his movement technique, dashing forward at incredible speed while firing a volley of arrows toward the creature.

"Roar... Grrr grrr... Crunch! Crunch!"

The guttural growls of the Nightmare Mutant, accompanied by the sickening sound of bones being crushed in its maw, froze Adam and Jin in place. They wanted to protest, to stay and help, but the horrifying noises drained their courage. Without another word, they turned and ran.

While they ran, the battle between the Nightmare Mutant and Ash began. It, although seeming mindless, it was quite cunning as it locked him as its target.