After the monster had been injured by Damian's arrows, it began screaming and walking loudly before snapping and glaring towards Damian.
The glare seemed to pierce through Damian and Clay who stood behind him couldn't help but feel fear after being glared at by such a fierce monster.
Clay was sweating profusely with nervousness as he observed the recovery speed and the power from the mercenary Damian was facing and had become a monster.
He couldn't help but begin doubting himself and Damian and also regretting his decision to act wildly in the memory of his father.
The self-doubt, regret and anxiety were clear, but he couldn't help but be shocked by what happened next.
"You tried to hurt me. It was you who killed my family and tortured me, I will destroy you" roared the monster.
It seemed to believe that anyone that harmed it was its father and was no longer in control of his mind, but from what the leader of the mercenary group had told him, the mercenary was still within the monster.
He was afraid of the monster within himself and his entire life had been filled with pain, suffering and hardship to an extent that Damian couldn't even fathom.
Pity was all Damian felt for the monster before him and from what he knew of the Injured Maniac Innate Ability that was artificially produced, he either had to kill the monster, or allow it to kill all of its aggressors, otherwise, the monster would continue fighting until its body died from being overly exerted.
Damian was not going to allow himself to be killed, but he also didn't want to cause the unfortunate mercenary more pain and couldn't imagine how it would be like to live like him.
He had his fair share of hardship, but it was clear to him that it was not much compared to that of the mercenary before him and he thought about whether he would have been able to recover from the situation that the mercenary was in.
Despite that, Damian's main priority was self-preservation and he couldn't allow himself to be defeated by the monster, but the least he could do was give him a swift death.
"Don't worry, I will end your suffering and there is no need to be scared of death. Your family are waiting for you to join them and living is only causing you more pain and suffering" stated Damian as he threw away his bow.
"I will not die here today and it will take much more than this to take me down with all the things I wish to achieve in the future"
Hearing that, Clay couldn't help but respect Damian even more.
'If he can stand up to any opponent without giving up or lowering his head like my father could, I can and will be the same' thought Clay to himself.
In an instant, Clay went from considering escape and regretting his decision, to completely becoming invested in the battle and standing confidently, prepared to face any opponent to assist Damian.
The arrows wouldn't be able to deal the monster much damage and would merely enrage it and make it harder to face, so Damian had no choice but to engage it in close combat.
"Clay, I will be relying on you to support me. I will be looking for the right opportunity to dodge while evading and blocking its attacks. Any attacks I cannot handle, I will leave to you to stop with your ability" said Damian as he prepared for the monster to charge towards him.
"You aren't my boss and stop giving me instructions, but you can rely on me" replied Clay, who despite acting coldly as though he didn't like Damian as he always did, he couldn't help but respect such a capable and driven individual who was a similar age to himself.
The monster who had finally stopped roaring wildly and glaring at them had completed its transformation and suddenly launched itself towards Damian.
It was so powerful that as it burst off the ground, the ground beneath its feet began to crumble and it moved so quickly that it appeared to be merely a blur.
Damian barely managed to evade the monster that pounced at him and if it wasn't for the Serpent Steps that he had copied from the mercenary, he wouldn't have been able to dodge it without using the Flame Burst Skill.
After Damian dodged its attack, the monster turned towards Clay, intending to attack any aggressor that dared to face them and appeared to be a threat towards it.
Its senses had been heightened greatly, but it wasn't its physical senses that were enhanced, but its emotional awareness and instincts, causing it to sense danger and aggression coming from only Damian and Clay.
Clay had his palms on the ground and was planning to support Damian as he fought the wild monster, so Damian had to keep its attention and launched a fireball towards it.
After fighting so much and using multiple different skills, Damian was physically fatigued and had also used a large amount of his energy, which was why he had to fight in a conservative manner.
The fireball was weak and easily blocked by the monster, but Damian had intended for it to be weak to save his energy and its only goal was to draw the attention of the monster.
Damian took a deep breath and returned to his completely focused and observative state, which allowed him to understand and perceive everything around him.
His understanding and skill in the use of the Serpent Step needed to be improved greatly along with his speed and dodging ability, otherwise, he wouldn't stand a chance against defeating the monster before him.
Damian didn't want to use it, but he had no choice but to use Shadow Energy and he was sure that those he fought against would be unable to understand or detect what it was.
The Shadow Speed Technique was his best bet and without hesitating, he switched his Changeable Energy from Fire Energy to Shadow Energy and activated the Shadow Speed Technique.