The snake screamed in despair and writhed miserably.
It couldn't resist or even escape; its strength failed rapidly, and it lost control over a large part of its body due to its crushed spine.
Within a few seconds, the massive coil it had formed with its body collapsed, leaving behind only a perforated mass of flesh.
Its blood and entrails soaked the ground, and it began to lose consciousness.
With the last of its remaining strength, it slowly crept, wishing to escape, but it was useless.
From the midst of its mangled body, Arthur emerged, now colored red by the sheer amount of blood that covered him.
He lunged at the snake's massive head and finished it off.
[+23 XP]
The snake let out its final hiss and fell dead, while Arthur stood proudly over its corpse.
He puffed his chest, lifted his head, looked at the sky, and howled very loudly, celebrating his victory.
Awoooooo!
[Congratulations]
[You have acquired the "Constrictor Snake" Skill: Regeneration]
[Alert]
[The effects of the "Primal Predator's Instinct Supreme" Skill have ended. All your Attributes have returned to their normal state]
His body trembled and began to shrink until it returned to its normal size.
His ferocity and savagery disappeared, and his eyes regained their calm, rational shine. Slowly, he lowered his head and let out a long sigh.
'I survived.'
A weary smile appeared on his face, but before he had time to rejoice, he suddenly felt an incredible pain spreading throughout his entire body. Involuntarily, he screamed loudly.
"Aaah!"
His ears rang, his vision blurred, and he could no longer stand on his broken leg, collapsing to the ground.
Quickly, he placed the snake's corpse into the Dimensional Storage, then crawled slowly toward some tangled bushes nearby and hid inside them.
As soon as he felt even a little safe, he lost consciousness. His injuries were severe, and his ability to move even slightly was a miracle in itself.
And so, the bloody night was about to end. In the sky, the full moon drew its last breath, while in the east, the first rays of sunlight appeared, and the first bird of the morning sang.
Nocturnal predators had hidden away, and the daytime monsters were preparing to begin their shifts.
Far away in a distant part of the forest, across a vast, rocky expanse filled with bones and dead, withered trees, dozens of giant wolves surrounded the carcass of a massive Armored Boar over 18 feet tall, tearing into its flesh mercilessly.
They growled fiercely, pushing and fighting over the best pieces of meat.
Beside them, atop a massive rock, a 12-foot-tall white wolf lay relaxed, staring at them indifferently like a true king.
Suddenly, the white wolf's ears twitched, and a strange gleam appeared in his eyes.
He slowly turned his head toward the south, having heard a faint howl coming from a very distant place in that direction.
He stood tall and majestic like a mountain, then lifted his head high and roared with all his might.
His voice exploded like a war horn tearing through the air, spreading across the vast forest, commanding attention and asserting his dominance.
Awooooooo!
The other wolves froze immediately. Like loyal soldiers, they raised their heads one by one and howled in solemn harmony.
Howls began echoing from every direction of the forest.
The white wolf bared his sharp fangs, almost like a human smile, and with eyes full of murderous intent, he stared toward Arthur's location.
…
Unaware that he had been discovered, Arthur sank into a deep sleep like a small child.
He did not awaken—or rather, did not regain consciousness—until the sun of the next day was about to set.
"Ugh…"
His eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened his dry, foggy eyes. He shook his head and let out a faint groan.
My head, my chest—damn it, my whole body hurts! What happened? Why do I feel like I've been hit by a truck?"
He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Gradually, his mind regained clarity, and the events of the previous night flashed through his head. He remembered what had happened to him.
"Ah, yes, that damned snake is the reason for all this."
His confusion vanished, and his pain eased slightly. He lay back, relaxed and sighed.
"What a savage night. I don't want to repeat this again. Moon frenzy? Like hell! I nearly died.
If it weren't for the Primal Predator skill saving me at the last moment, I would have turned into snake shit by now."
He sighed again, lamenting his weakness. For the first time in a long while, he wished he could go back home.
He thought that this life, full of unexpected twists and turns, really wasn't for him.
He even felt nostalgic for his boring, routine life on Earth, and strangely, he missed his only aunt—someone he hadn't even liked.
Unfortunately, Arthur lost his parents when he was eleven. Because of that, he spent most of his life moving between the few relatives he had, never experiencing a stable childhood.
This affected his social life a lot—he didn't make many friends, suffered some bullying in high school, and never had a real romantic relationship.
Human emotions overwhelmed him. He became more emotional than necessary for no clear reason, and a sad expression appeared on his face as he pitied himself.
'How long will this last? I can't live the rest of my life like this—as nothing more than a savage beast whose only concern is survival.
No. I'm more than that. I'm human. My ambitions should be far greater than this.'
A serious look appeared on his face as he realized his thoughts were right.
There was no meaning in living without a clear goal. Survival was fine—but what came after that? It was unreasonable to spend his entire life in this forest as a monster.
His turbulent emotions settled, and he regained his usual composure. He raised his head with confidence and spoke with a firm expression.
"I refuse to accept this. I won't spend the rest of my life afraid and hiding. I will reclaim my humanity, and I will tame this damn forest and whatever monsters live in it.
And why not? I'll become the king of this cursed place."
Arthur knew that what he was thinking was pure madness.
Even so, he showed no intention of backing down and swore deep inside to achieve his goal, no matter the cost.
His blue eyes filled with determination, and a surge of excitement washed over him, making him forget his pain.
He felt a strong urge to go hunting and seize more XP to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
However, his physical condition made that impossible, so he calmed himself and dealt with the situation rationally.
Sigh!
"No need to rush. First, I need to recover. After that, I can do whatever I want. Besides, I'm not far from Rank E anymore. Killing that snake gave me a lot of XP, and I still haven't even eaten its corpse yet."
A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he realized he hadn't been beaten for nothing. The spoils he had gained were more than worth it.
Filled with anticipation, he summoned his Status screen to check his current progress.
— — —
[ — Status — ]
Name: Arthur
Race: Wolf?
Rank: F??
XP: 206 / 200??
HP: 21 / 150?
Mana: 0 / 0
Evolution Points: 6?
[ — Basic Status — ]
Strength: 23
Endurance: 10
Speed: 11
Agility: 8
Vitality: 15
Perception: 11
Mana Control: 1
[ — Skills — ]
Primal Predator (SSS)
Dimensional Storage (D)?
Evaluation (D)?
Enhanced Senses (F)?
Iron Will (F)?
Regeneration (F)?
— — —