Dangerous elk (1)

Early in the morning in the forest where Tom found himself, everything seemed normal, except for the sudden resurgence of animal life from the day before—or more precisely, their reappearance. Throughout the night, Tom had remained awake in the cave, fearing that sleep might leave him vulnerable to nighttime attacks.

Dark circles formed under his eyes, evidence of his sleepless vigil. Yet, this exhaustion wasn't solely due to sleep deprivation. After the events of the previous night, Tom had come to recognize the forest's danger. This realization ignited a heightened intensity in his efforts to master his Astralums.

He dedicated the entire night to honing his skill with his time manipulation Astralum. Progress was evident—he could now halt the motion of an object for a second. Though a second may seem brief, in the midst of combat's uncertainty, such a pause could mean the difference between life and death.

However, there was a new concern. Tom was starting to feel hungry. As an Etherian, Tom didn't require sustenance throughout the day thanks to the energy supplied by Etherium. Yet, he was still at the novice level, and despite his enhanced endurance against hunger compared to regular humans, it was now his second day in the forest, and hunger was beginning to gnaw at him. "Sigh... I need to venture out and find some food."

Following the previous night's incident, Tom was hesitant to leave his cave unless he had a strong grasp on his Astralums. He took a deep breath and rose from his seated position, retrieving his sword before exiting the cave. Similar to the previous day, he surveyed his surroundings for any potential threats. Seeing that the path was clear, he stepped out, covering his body in Etherium to shield himself from the large mosquitoes attempting to bite him.

Tom returned to the clearing and noticed a lake nearby. Approaching cautiously, he remained vigilant, the cries he'd heard the previous evening still fresh in his mind. The haunting sounds had left him anxious, and his unease was evident. Upon confirming the path was safe, he approached the lake's edge and began to quench his thirst.

Just as he was drinking, his instincts screamed at him to move, and he did so without hesitation. As he rolled to the side, he turned to assess the situation. Before him stood an elk—resembling those found on Earth.

He inspected where he had been sitting moments ago and noticed a sharp object he struggled to identify 'is it a...tooth? Tom was baffled. Could this really be a tooth? And how in the world could an elk use its teeth as projectiles? He observed the elk again, this time seeing its height of over three meters, much larger than Tom.

It looked just like an ordinary Earth elk, leaving him mystified as to how it could launch an attack from more than 25 meters away. This remained a puzzle until the elk opened its mouth, revealing not just teeth, but rather, fangs—sharper and more deadly-looking than those of the creature he'd fought on the night of his arrival-the creature resembling a monkey.

'What the hell... Do all the creatures in this forest possess such teeth?' A shiver of dread ran down Tom's spine at the thought.

Meanwhile, the elk continued to angle its mouth in Tom's direction. Despite being aware of the creature's intent, curiosity overpowered caution, compelling Tom to observe its actions. "What the fuck?"

He couldn't help but exclaim aloud, stunned by the unfolding spectacle. The elk's teeth began to move, and within an instant, all of its teeth—including those at the back, visible to Tom—aimed directly at him.

"Don't tell me it's going to use its teeth as projectiles." Tom's skepticism persisted even as he witnessed the impossible. To his utter astonishment, the elk's teeth, as if they were bullets, were suddenly launched towards him!

The elk's teeth were hurtling towards Tom at bullet-like speed. Once again, he swiftly moved from his position, but unlike the first time, the elk's teeth continued to rain down on him. The assault of teeth resembled a machine gun's fire, relentless and unending.

As Tom darted to avoid the teeth, he glanced back at the elk, thinking, 'He's got very few teeth left. I wonder what the idiot will do once he's out of ammo.' Despite the smirk on his face, Tom's satisfaction was short-lived. The elk ceased its barrage, but something incredible occurred: the elk closed its mouth and began to move it—almost as if the creature was... chewing?

A few seconds later, the elk opened its mouth once more, but Tom's expression immediately contorted as he saw the state of the elk's teeth—every single tooth had regenerated. The elk stared at Tom and opened its mouth in his direction, as if to boast about its renewed arsenal.

Tom flashed a determined smile, he unsheathed his sword, releasing Etherium from his core and dispersing it throughout his body. His intention was to dodge the next volley of teeth and seize the opportunity when the elk was busy regenerating its arsenal, and escape!

He had no intention of fighting the elk; after all, engaging an enemy with no prior information was a dumb move.

Contrary to Tom's expectations, the elk didn't attack him with its teeth this time. Instead, the creature charged at him with astonishing speed! Not only did Tom fail to anticipate such a maneuver from the elk, but the creature's velocity was also utterly astounding. Consequently, Tom could barely evade the charging elk, rolling to his right once more.

However, this time it seemed the elk had predicted his movements. The elk adjusted its trajectory to where Tom was heading and, in a split second, opened its mouth and unleashed a volley of pointed teeth towards Tom's head.

"Shit."

It's often said that no matter how much training one undergoes, it can never fully prepare them for a real-life situation. This was the moment when Tom found this notion to be true. Throughout the previous night, he had tirelessly practiced to use his time manipulation Astralum almost instinctively, yet it remained exceedingly complex due to the need for habitual mastery. Tom hadn't developed that familiarity with his time manipulation Astralum, given that he had acquired it just a day ago.

However, at this precise moment, as the elk's teeth were on the verge of piercing his head, Tom instinctively activated his time manipulation Astralum, slowing down the teeth's motion for just a single second. While a second might seem trivial, in a battle of this magnitude, a second could be the difference between life and death. And that's precisely what happened. During that brief second of time freeze, Tom quickly lowered himself face down to the ground, narrowly avoiding the teeth that would have otherwise pierced his head. 'Sigh... that was close,' he thought, relieved.

Immediately after this close call, Tom swiftly rose and distanced himself from the elk. He was concerned the creature might continue its pursuit. Fortunately, the elk ceased its attack. The elk had been certain that its assault would be lethal, so it was taken aback by Tom emerging unscathed.

But the elk's astonishment didn't last long. It charged at Tom once again as he distanced himself from it. Closing in on Tom, the elk attempted to impale him with its sharp antlers.

However, this time, Tom was prepared for such an attack and easily dodged it. Yet, what Tom hadn't anticipated was that the elk would swiftly pivot its head towards him. Suddenly, the antlers above its head elongated and shot directly towards Tom in an instant, poised to impale him!