Agil ran at full speed between the trees, his breaths quickening with every step, yet his lips curled into a faint smile.
He had succeeded! At last, the Sharp-Toothed Deer had fallen into the trap. But that joy didn’t last long… He knew that damned creature wouldn’t stay stuck forever. Since it was capable of enhancing its body, this fall wouldn’t cause it any serious harm.
Originally, Agil had prepared the trap to hunt the lone deer, but he hadn’t used it at the time. Now, when the deer was busy swallowing the rabbit and had drawn close, he seized the opportunity. He waited for the perfect moment, then pulled the fiber string previously tied to the tree.
The result?
The ground collapsed, and the deer fell into the pit!
But… unfortunately, Agil couldn’t exploit the opportunity to attack! There were many reasons for that.
First, targeting the deer while it was inside the pit was difficult. Second, even if he attempted an attack, the rising dust would hinder his vision, even if he enhanced his eyes. And third, and most importantly… that damned deer was incredibly experienced. Even after its fight with the rabbit, no visible injuries had appeared on its body, and it hadn’t lost much spirituality. It was a dangerous opponent, and eliminating it quickly wasn’t possible.
Agil wasn’t a fool. He knew his chances of killing the deer were extremely slim! And if he failed, he would be the next victim… His spirituality would run out, and at that point, he would be nothing more than torn flesh beneath the deer’s fangs!
"Sometimes, retreating is the wisest choice…"
Even though he told himself that, he wasn’t completely satisfied. If he got the chance to trample that deer, he wouldn’t miss it! He was furious at that bastard for causing him all these problems.
Still, his retreat now was a wise decision, just as it had been when he initially hid and let the rabbit fight. Back then, he knew the deer was at the Dormant Rank, and he wasn’t sure if any of the herd’s females possessed the same strength. Fighting at that time would have been certain suicide!
But after observing the battle, he realized the deer was only at the initial stage of the Dormant Rank. Luckily, it wasn’t in the stable stage, or his chances of survival would have been nearly nonexistent!
As for the female deer, he didn’t sense any spiritual aura emanating from them. They were merely ordinary creatures.
Usually, creatures that had reached the stable stage of the Dormant Rank possessed a stronger soul than an average person, and they emitted a faint aura that could be sensed over time.
Agil sighed as he ran. "Ah… Unfortunately, I don’t have time to cover my damned scent…"
…
At the site of the previous battle, where the rabbit and the deer had fought, three female deer surrounded a massive pit, broken wood and loose soil scattered around it.
And suddenly—!!
Swoosh!!!
A massive shadow burst out of the pit!
The Sharp-Toothed Deer had emerged, its body covered in dust, with a few minor bruises… Blood-red veins spread across its eyes from sheer rage, and an expression of fury and madness crossed its face!
BAM!
The deer suddenly crashed into a tree in front of it, then raised its head and let out a crazed roar!
"Aaaaaaah—!!!"
Then it started running wildly, kicking trees and crashing into them in a frenzy!
Bam!
Baaam!
It raged like a mad beast for a while before finally stopping. Its nose and ears twitched sharply, then it slowly lifted its head… and looked in the direction Agil had fled!
And in that moment, it let out a murderous snarl and shot forward like an arrow!
Today… one of them would die!
…
Elsewhere, ahead of Agil…
A lone horse stood amidst the grass, lowering its head to graze slowly, enjoying its meal away from its herd.
This horse had a dark yellowish-gray hide, with no hair covering it. Its four eyes were blood-red, and its neck split into two branches from the middle. Each neck bore a massive head with powerful teeth.
But just as it was about to lower its heads to graze further… it suddenly froze.
Its four ears twitched, then it raised its heads and looked to the side.
Far away, between the trees…
Under the setting sun’s glow, a blurry figure was sprinting at high speed. As it drew closer, the horse managed to discern its features.
A young man clad in black, covered in patches of dried mud. His expression was cold, but a clear glimmer of urgency shone in his eyes.
As time passed…
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The young man drew nearer and nearer…
The horse’s four eyes stiffened, and it let out an angry neigh, stepping forward to warn the uninvited visitor.
But…
The young man didn’t stop.
He continued running at a steady pace, his expression unchanged. He was as cold as ice, with no trace of fear in his eyes.
Rage surged in the horse’s heart, and it let out a powerful snort, glaring at this insolent human.
Murderous intent filled its four eyes!
Its hooves moved… then it charged wildly!
Tak! Tak! Tak!
Its speed was terrifying, leaving massive hoof prints behind as dust rose into the air.
But… even at the last moment…
The young man remained steady, advancing without a hint of panic. More than that… anger began to surface in his eyes!
And just as the horse lunged forward to tear him apart with its powerful teeth—!!
Swoosh!!!
In a flash, the young man drew two daggers from his belt and surged forward with devastating speed!
Crack!!
The ground beneath him shattered, and dust erupted everywhere!
Before the horse could grasp what was happening… the young man had already leaped over one of its heads!
In that brief second, the horse’s eyes met the young man’s.
The first… was filled with shock and terror.
The second… carried immense fury and cold-blooded killing intent!
And without hesitation—!!
The daggers plunged into the horse’s head—!
A fountain of blood erupted onto the young man’s cold face…!
But he didn’t stop.
Instead, he swiftly yanked the daggers out and leaped off the horse, his black cloak and hair fluttering in the wind.
Then, without a moment’s delay, he sheathed his daggers and dashed forward again…
As if his life depended on it.
As if that horse… wasn’t even worth stopping for.
Eeeeehhh! Behind him, the horse reared up, screaming in agony! Hot blood gushed from two deep wounds on its head, staining the ground red.
Its four eyes flickered with boundless fury, but terror crept into its soul! It turned and fled wildly in the opposite direction of the young man, leaving a trail of blood behind.
Two-Headed Horses were different from the arrogant, battle-loving Sharp-Toothed Deer. They were cowards before those stronger than them! There was no hesitation—if staying meant death, fleeing was the only option!
The horse ran at full speed, caring for nothing but survival. True, the young man hadn’t chased after it, but it didn’t dare stay a second longer in the same place!
Yet it didn’t know… it was running straight to its demise.
And suddenly, after a short sprint, it stopped! It stared ahead sharply… something was approaching.
At that moment, the horse hesitated. Should it flee again? Or charge forward? It wavered, but it couldn’t forget what had happened moments ago—the terrifying scene burned into its memory forever…
It changed course!
It dashed to the right without stopping, thinking it had escaped… but then, a dreadful scream echoed behind it!
A menacing, violence-filled, death-laden roar.
Whatever had made that sound… had noticed it too! And it was ready to fight!
The horse trembled violently, its breath ragged, but what truly terrified it wasn’t the sound… it was the image that surfaced in its mind with that roar!
A tall, lean body packed with taut muscles, sharp eyes gleaming with savage killing intent… and massive, branching antlers extending from its head!
It was… a Sharp-Toothed Deer!
A ruthless predator… that knew no mercy!
The horse charged forward in a frenzy to escape, but the sound of heavy footsteps began to approach quickly...
One of its heads turned slightly, and it saw it!
Far behind, there was a sharp-toothed gazelle... completely enraged... filled with an intent to kill that couldn''t be described!
No matter how hard it tried to escape, the gazelle got closer and closer...
There was no hope, no savior, even its herd was far away...
This was its end!
Finally, the horse stopped. Instead of turning its back on death, it decided to fight!
Who knows? Maybe there’s a chance to win... even if it''s slim, that’s better than surrendering! What’s the use of yielding?
The horse growled in anger, suppressed its fear and hesitation, and its eyes blazed with a fiery spark of combat!
It charged towards the oncoming gazelle!
Neither of them backed down... there was no hesitation... both of them stared at each other... until the decisive moment arrived!
Boom!!
The horse’s head collided with the gazelle’s horns with unimaginable force!
But at that very moment...
The result was sealed!
The gazelle, with its immense strength, drove the massive horse through the air with its reinforced horns!
It didn’t give it a chance, immediately pouncing on it and sinking its sharp teeth into one of its necks!
Tearing!!
A flood of blood exploded, staining the gazelle’s face with a dark red color!
The horse staggered, spat blood, feeling its strength fading...
But the gazelle didn’t let it suffer for long. As soon as it swallowed the chunk of meat it had torn, it charged again to pierce the horse’s belly with its deadly horns!
It was over!
The horse gasped, choking on its own blood, let out a final scream... then collapsed, lifeless!
Aaaah...
The gazelle opened its mouth, took a bite of the dead horse’s flesh. Its teeth were like grinders, tearing through the meat easily, sinking into the tissue, crushing the bones!
Bit by bit, its teeth became stained with blood, and the ground beneath it turned into a red swamp!
It was enjoying its meal when it suddenly stopped...
A terrifying scream of pain escaped from it!
Aaaaaaaa!!
It clenched its teeth. A look of utter torment appeared on its face, then... its body began to writhe and tremble strangely!
It couldn’t stand still. Its limbs began to slam violently against the ground, kicking the air madly, charging blindly, crashing into trees, smashing rocks, filling the forest with chaos!
It kept resisting, fighting with everything it had, but...
In the end...
Even after its violent resistance, even after its indomitable will, something unstoppable happened!
The gazelle stood still, its body frozen, its breaths heavy...
Then, slowly...
Its pupils turned blood-red!