Chapter 20 - 19

Probably determined to prevent me from moving any closer, the Hackclaw swung its arms around with much ferocity. And being on the receiving end of that attack, I could personally feel the combination of power, speed, and precision in each of those swings. That was why to keep up and not die, I completely immersed myself in the fight devoting all my concentration to every single movement and decision I made.

I desperately dodged every single one of those deadly swipes only by an inch. Because of that, I didn't even have time to breathe. But as ridiculous as it sounded, I didn't feel the slightest tired no matter how long we continued that exchange. And based on the movements of the Hackclaw, we were probably in the same situation. In short, we were once again in a stalemate.

Noticing that, I tried changing the tide of battle by slowly moving forward while avoiding every attack. And to my surprise, I was able to push forward despite the relentless attack of the Hackclaw. Of course, it wasn't as if the Hackclaw had become slower. I could easily tell because the Hackclaw wasn't showing any signs of fatigue and was also clearly surprised by the sudden turn of events. Then to top it all off, the tension I was feeling within my body was also beginning to subside. It was as if I was learning in the middle of this combat like that certain battle maniac character which I couldn't remember the name.

'Wait a goddamn minute, what am I thinking in the middle of a deathmatch?! I need to stay focused. STAY FOCUSED!!' I swore to my heart.

But despite my mind drifting away from the battle, I was still able to dodge every attack. And this time around, I was actually pulling it off with ease.

'What the heck?'

Of course, I wasn't the only one who was surprised by what was happening. Clearly, the Hackclaw was more shaken than I was because it actually retreated a few distances away after witnessing the change in my movements.

Normally, I would follow the Hackclaw and would not let it rest. But this time, I didn't follow it because I know for sure that it wouldn't attempt to run and escape. Well, maybe it would be more accurate to say that it simply couldn't. And since it couldn't possibly escape anyway, I judge that it would be more beneficial for me to take a deep breath and take some time to analyze what was really happening to me.

It was only then when I finally had time to ease my mind that I finally noticed. 'Hmmm. Strange, I am pretty sure that I am fighting, in the same way, that I did before I evolve… In that sense, I am not actually learning anything new… But if so…'

While I was faking caution against the Hackclaw, I slowly came to realize that I was not actually learning, but was in fact starting to get used to the new strength of my body. Probably, it was the result of experiencing an actual death match. And by continuously moving my body to avoid the Hackclaw's attacks, my mind was becoming more aligned to my body like some gears finally meshing up perfectly.

'If that is the case, then fighting this monster without relying on my active skills is definitely the right choice!'

At first, the idea of fighting without using any skill was just a simple necessity. After all, using skills would only result in my movements being hindered. And if I messed it up, I would most certainly die. But after realizing the fact that I was getting used to my new body because of this idea, I became much more motivated to continue this fight. Honestly, depending on the situation, I might even deliberately prolong this battle. Of course, I was pretty much aware that underestimating an opponent oftentimes didn't end well. That was why I ultimately decided that I would only do what was necessary to avoid making an irreversible mistake. Besides…

'Playing with food is bad manners.'

After deciding what to do, I began my preparation to attack. Probably sensing my intention, the Hackclaw lowered its center of gravity clearly preparing itself for the upcoming confrontation.

'Okay, mister Hackclaw. Let's dance!!'

At that same moment, I charged towards the Hackclaw. And just like before, the Hackclaw desperately swung its arms around to prevent me from coming near. But unfortunately for the Hackclaw, I was not the same wolf that it had fought before. Because this time around, I was dodging all of the Hackclaw's attack with ease.

Unlike our first and second confrontations, I could now clearly see the trajectory of every swing that the Hackclaw does. It was as if the Hackclaw have gotten slower. No, clearly, I was just faster than the Hackclaw from the very beginning and it was only becoming much more apparent now. Then, as I was steadily pushing forward, a sudden flash of inspiration came to my mind.

'Hmmm. How about this!'

While dodging the barrage of slashes, I tried using my new and sharper claws to fling the scythe-like arm of the Hackclaw to the side. Unfortunately, it didn't go well for my first few tries, and it even caused me some light injuries. But of course, it would take much more than that to make me give up.

Paying no heed to my injuries, I carefully observed and studied the trajectory of each strike. And because of that, I slowly began to understand that the best way to defend against this kind of attack was to use my claws to divert its direction away from me. But of course, it was easier said than done. After all, my claws were extremely shorter in length compared to the scythe-like arms of the Hackclaw. This fact not only made defending much harder, but it also made the timing trickier. Fortunately, I still eventually managed to successfully pull it off.

Sparks flew every time my claw met those scythe-like arms. For me, it was a good sign, but for the Hackclaw, it signaled the countdown of its impending death. Well, it wasn't that far off from the truth because my advance had become much faster than before. And probably due to that same reason, the Hackclaw decided to change its tactics.

Just right when I was about to reach the Hackclaw, it suddenly started to retreat. Of course, being that I was an advantage, I followed suit. But when I did that, the Hackclaw swung its arms towards me while moving backward.

Unfortunately, for the monster, that strategy had not the slightest chance of working against me. And well, the reason for that was quite obvious. 'Idiot, I'm much faster than you!'

Honestly, it was a really bad move. Because not only that I was faster than the Hackclaw, the precision of its attacks was also sacrificed by multitasking like this. And as a result, it became a piece of cake for me to fling away all of its attacks.

Upon reaching the monster, I hastily bit one of its legs and then completely tore it off. With that, the Hackclaw's mobility was effectively lost, and it fell on the ground. But as if showing its last bit of resistance, the monster thrashed around while swinging its scythe-like arms at random. Clearly, the monster was doing that to make it hard for me to parry its attacks.

'Well, I can at least respect your tenacious d.e.s.i.r.e to live. Unfortunately, it is the end of the line for you.'

After paying my respect to the tenacious monster, I slowly moved closer to the Hackclaw while easily swatting off all the attacks that came towards me. Of course, it wasn't as if the monster's strategy of swinging at random was bad. It was just that I already became used to parrying its scythe after doing it for a while. Well, my experience in hand-to-hand combat during my time as a human in the past also helped. And though it was true that there was some difference now in bodily structure, in essence, all I needed to do was to learn the trick using this body.

'Because of you, I am now already used to moving this body. And more than that, you are also the reason why I can now use this trick. So, as thanks, I will kill you fast, and I will also make sure that your death will be meaningful…' I thought while respectfully looking my prey in the eye.

I didn't know why, but the Hackclaw became much more desperate after meeting up my gaze. Unfortunately, even after pouring all of its remaining strength in its attack, I still managed to fling away all of it without even breaking a sweat.

A metallic clang resounded as I diverted the last of the monster's attack away from me. Then as I slowly bear down my fangs towards the monster's head, it stopped resisting entirely as if finally accepting its fate.

'Thank you and good night…' I sincerely thought before opening my mouth wide and proceeding to crush its head.