Chapter 21 - 20

After defeating and eating the Hackclaw, my mind had become completely in sync with my body. Because of that, it became much easier for me to move around and hunt some new monsters. Of course, despite getting used to my newfound power, I still didn't forget to proceed with caution. And naturally, this also applied whenever I fought a monster.

Speaking of fighting some monsters. I have actually defeated quite a number now. And those monsters could be split into three categories. First was the first monster I have defeated after evolving into this form, the mantis-type monster called the Hackclaw. The second one was the lizard-type monster called Horned Umbrazard which was the very same monster I had eaten to evolve. Then there was the ant-type monster called Anties Scout that was popping up from time to time. Though, as I continuously pushed forward, I had noticed that my chance of encountering an Anties Scout was somehow decreasing. But that fact was not the one I was most confused about.

'Are there really no Hellhounds around this place?'

To be perfectly honest, I was just fine not meeting one. After all, who in the world would be crazy enough to actively seek those crazy monsters out? I mean seriously, it was not as if those monsters were scary, it was just that they were repulsive. And when I said repulsive, I didn't mean it physically. What I meant was those things were just simply incompatible with life.

Hmm? What was with that last statement you asked? Well, it just simply means that those things couldn't possibly exist without causing any destruction. At least, that was my overall impression of those Hellhounds. And seriously, the madness I felt on those Hellhounds was quite similar to the feeling I got from that Cerberus. In short, those things were chaos incarnate.

Oh right, if we're talking about a repulsive aura, that armored human from my memory gave me that same vibe. But strangely enough, the repulsive feeling I got from that armored human felt a little different compared to those mad monsters. From what I could tell, the armored human's presence felt more like a direct threat to my existence. On the other hand, I felt as if those mad monsters were an absolute enemy of all living things. And based on the behavior that the Cerberus and those two Hellhounds have shown, those monsters would surely destroy and devour any unfortunate lifeforms that they happen to encounter on their path.

'Seriously, I wonder why those monsters are behaving like that.'

Really, those monster's behavior was really a mystery. Because as strange as it was, I couldn't feel that same intent coming from the other monsters I had encountered. Of course, that didn't mean that the other monsters weren't dangerous. But unlike the Cerberus and Hellhounds, the other monsters were killing other living beings in order to survive. In other words, the other monsters were doing it out of necessity and not just for the sake of doing it.

'Man, I really don't want to end up like that.'

While I was thinking of such things, I finally reached the exit of the narrow path I was traversing and once again found myself in a small dome-like area. And just like the other ones I had passed by before, the walls of this dome-like area were also littered with holes that seemed like a pathway leading to god knows where.

'Sigh… Another one of these huh?' I thought, feeling a little tired.

Honestly, it was really hard to tell the difference between this area and the other ones from before. Fortunately, I have my Enhance Smell skill that was why it was easy for me to know that this was my first time being in this area. If I didn't have that skill, I wouldn't even be able to tell if I was just going around in circles or if I was actually making any progress. Seriously, I wouldn't want to be stuck in this place without any way to mark an area. That was how confusing this place was.

Since I've been feeling a little tired, I decided to rest my body for a while. But before I even managed to lie down, my Detect Malice went off and a huge black blur slid down from one of the holes on the wall. While keeping my senses on high alert, I kept my eyes fixed on the place where the black blur landed. And after waiting for a while, the cloud of dust finally subsided revealing the form of the monster.

While I was preparing myself for the incoming battle, I noticed that the Hellhound hadn't even noticed me because it was too busy growling at the hole it slid down from. More than that, there were also some wounds all over the Hellhound's body.

Curious, I also looked towards the hole where the Hellhound came from. 'Don't tell me another Hellhound is coming?'

Based on how the Hellhound was acting, it was pretty much confirmed that it was fighting something before reaching this area. But no matter how much I waited, no other monster appeared from that hole. Because of that, I concluded that maybe the monster that the Hellhound was fighting before wasn't even interested in following the Hellhound into this place.

'That means I'm stuck in this area with this monster.'

Because the monster that the Hellhound was waiting for wasn't showing up, I knew for sure that I would eventually need to fight the Hellhound. Fortunately, the Hellhound had yet to notice my presence which made launching a surprise attack a lot easier. That was why I decided not to waste the opportunity and charged towards the clueless Hellhound.

Unfortunately, the Hellhound had noticed my presence before I managed to reach it. While I was still midair, the Hellhound also leaped towards me without any hesitation. As a result, we grappled and tried to bite each other midair while letting out incoherent growls. And once I felt the ground beneath my feet, I hastily moved a few distances away from the Hellhound.

At first, I thought that I would at least be able to catch my breath given the distance between the Hellhound and me. But the moment I looked up; the Hellhound was already there launching itself towards me. Instinctively, I activated Haste and dodge that Hellhounds attack.

After activating my skill, everything seemed to slow down. 'Now, no monster has been able to keep up with this speed after my evolution. So, let's see how much you will fare Mr. Hellhound.' But right just when that thought flashed through my mind, a black blur suddenly appeared in front of me.

'What?!'

Fortunately, just before the Hellhound managed to successfully bite me, our momentum was stopped when the Hellhound slammed into a boulder. Of course, I gratefully took that chance and bit the Hellhound before moving away.

'Yikes, that was close.' I thought after scuttling away.

Honestly, I still felt a little dizzy after rolling around like that. Luckily, the Hellhound was in a much worse condition being that I personally injured it on top of being slammed into the boulder. Because of that, I had enough time to completely recover my bearing.

But right just when I was about to launch another attack, I heard the sound of something sliding into the ground coming from holes in the wall. Right after that, Detect Malice picked up multiple hostile presences.

A bad premonition flashed through my mind. My first instinct right then was to quickly run away, but before I even managed to, sounds of solid objects hitting up the ground filled my ears. Probably as a result of that, clouds of dust covered the entire area I was in. Confused, I hurriedly surveyed my surroundings and saw multiple humanoid silhouettes beyond the cloud of dust.

'Shit, are all those monsters!' Was my immediate conclusion.

While I was trying to calm myself down, I noticed that some of the silhouettes surrounding me were carrying some sort of weapon. Of course, being that the cloud of dust has yet to subside, I still couldn't see what weapons those were exactly. And from the looks of it, the humanoid monsters seemed like they were dancing joyfully. Some of them were raising their weapons, while the others who were not carrying anything were raising both their hands into the air. Along with all of that, I could also hear the monster chanting gyah, gyoh over and over again drowning the sound of the Hellhound's growl.

Upon witnessing the numerous monsters surrounding me, I took a careful step backward and tried to make my escape. Unfortunately, I suddenly heard a painful whimper from somewhere along with a jolt of pain at the side of my head.

My vision blurred and my body went numb. The next thing I knew, I was lying down on the ground with a hazy vision and relentless ringing in my ears. But despite all of that, I still gritted my fangs and forced my body to stand.

My legs felt weak, and even though I managed to stand back up, I was sure my legs would give out if I moved carelessly. As I was trying to fix my stance, I sensed an attack coming from behind and managed to dodge it by the last second. Unfortunately, I wasn't fighting against a single monster.

I felt a powerful impact hit the left side of my body. For a moment my vision turned black, and when I came to, I was lying sideways on the cold hard ground. I tried moving even just an inch, but despite all my pleas, my body didn't listen. The only thing I could move was my eyeballs but it was pretty much useless since my vision was hazier than before. Then when I tried looking up, there was a humanoid silhouette looking down on me.

Its eyes were glowing red, and from what I could tell, it was looking at me with curiosity. But despite looking straight to the face of my would-be killer, I felt strangely calm. For a moment, I asked myself if it was because I had already experienced death, but before I even managed to come up with a clear answer, an excruciating pain assaulted my head and everything was dyed in black.