Beastbound: Awakening the Hunter

The night sky was dark, but then, with a sudden crack, an enormous flash of fire erupted, lighting up the heavens as though half the sky had caught aflame. The lightning, like a silver serpent, danced through the air, reflected in the fiery glow below.

In that dazzling moment, Oliver’s eyes finally locked onto the source of his terror: a massive serpent, its scales burning with fire.

It was the Emberfang, the Flameclaw Python.

Its massive body was coiled in a wave of flames, and it was so large that its presence seemed to rival the very lightning in the sky. Oliver had heard rumors that deep in the forests near Glensorne City, there lay a monstrous serpent, capable of bringing destruction to entire villages. He never imagined he would encounter it himself.

The giant snake opened its maw and let out a terrifying roar that caused the very ground to tremble. Entire swaths of the forest began to collapse, as if the wind had swept through a field of wheat, flattening everything in its path. Oliver was nearly blown off his feet by the powerful gusts, but fortunately, the Wild Boar and the Great Tiger stood firm, their massive bodies blocking the winds, though even they were struggling. Their claws dug deep into the mud, and their flesh rippled with the pressure of the storm.

"This is... too terrifying," Oliver thought, barely able to comprehend the magnitude of the threat. The beast could probably crush him with a single breath, if it so wished.

But to his luck, the Emberfang’s gaze never even fell on him. Instead, its fiery eyes remained fixed on the darkness deeper within the forest. The flames surrounding its body surged higher, burning the very air around it, making Oliver feel parched despite the rain.

It was raining, but the dry trees nearby were catching fire, flames licking at the wet leaves, turning them into ash in moments.

Boom!

The massive serpent slid swiftly through the forest, leaving a trail of scorched earth in its wake. Its heat dried up riverbeds, charred the earth, and sent the forest’s creatures into a frenzied panic. Oliver watched in disbelief as a rabbit hopped desperately on the back of a fleeing wolf, frogs and snakes teamed up to escape, and even the creatures who typically hid underground burst forth like a tidal wave, scattering in every direction.

But what was even worse, the flames on the serpent’s body seemed to ignite a deadly, poisonous gas that lingered in the forest. A poisonous firestorm spread rapidly across the land.

Oliver whistled loudly, leaping through the trees, running like a madman. The Wild Boar and the Great Tiger followed closely behind, both equally desperate to escape the growing inferno.

Hisssss!

The firestorm expanded in waves, each ripple spreading further, like the aftershocks of an explosion in water. Oliver leaped onto a tree to avoid the intense heat, but the very next moment, the tree was knocked over by the firestorm, forcing him to leap again.

After dodging three more times, he finally managed to land safely, though his body was drenched in cold sweat. The overwhelming heat, the deafening roar of the firestorm—it was hard to believe that the Emberfang had merely passed through and wasn’t actively hunting him. And yet, even just that simple encounter had caused so much chaos.

What relieved him, though, was that the Great Tiger and the Wild Boar had made it to safety. They knew the forest well, quickly taking refuge in a nearby cave.

But the Great Tiger was not entirely unscathed. The heat had singed the fur on its rear, and its tail was now a sorry, burnt stump. It waddled up to Oliver, wagging its half-burned tail, looking both pitiful and amusing.

In truth, the firestorm had been poisonous, but the Great Tiger, accustomed to the toxins in the forest, had some natural resistance. That’s why it had managed to avoid serious harm.

"Let's go!" Oliver urged, his voice firm despite the lingering panic. He could sense that this threat was far from over.

The giant serpent, now fully immersed in magical power, continued to burn brighter with every passing moment. Was it just enjoying the chaos?

As if confirming his suspicions, a deafening roar echoed from the distant forest. The blast of sound shook the air, causing pain in Oliver's eardrums. He could feel the ground quivering beneath him.

As he looked into the night sky, his heart stopped in his chest. Another monstrous form was silhouetted against the dark clouds, confronting the Emberfang.

This new beast was even larger—its body covered in thick, bone-like scales, its mouth resembling a giant sawblade capable of cutting through the very air.

Oliver had heard rumors of such a creature before: Grimjaw, the Bonejaw Beast.

The two titanic creatures were locked in battle now, their roars and the magical blasts from their clash ringing through the forest like the last judgment. For the other creatures in the forest, this was nothing short of a nightmare.

Oliver and his two pets ran as fast as they could, with the terrifying sounds of battle and the occasional flash of lightning lighting the way. Finally, they made it to the forest’s edge. As the plants thinned out and the air grew still, Oliver collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.

His clothes were soaked—rainwater and sweat mingling as they dripped down his face. He was too exhausted to even wipe his face, so he simply lay there, watching the rain streaking across the night sky.

The Great Tiger and the Wild Boar, exhausted as well, collapsed next to him, their massive bodies sending tremors through the earth. Oliver couldn’t help but chuckle. These two had been spending so much time with him that they were starting to act almost... human.

Meanwhile, the Shatterbeast cub, which had stayed nestled in Oliver’s coat since the beginning, finally poked its head out cautiously, peering around the world with wide eyes.

After resting for a while, Oliver reflected on what had just happened, and he couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down his spine. That snake... just passing by, it had nearly killed them all. The other creatures of the forest hadn’t been so lucky. Many had perished in the flames.

What would it be like, he wondered, to face such a creature head-on in battle?

No wonder people warned about the dangers of the forest, and why hunters didn’t live long. Random encounters like this could easily cost you your life.

But, once the panic had passed, Oliver felt a sense of anticipation bubbling up inside him.

The wild flight had accelerated his digestion of the slime’s essence. He had now accumulated 52 points of Life Essence.

It was time—time for the Wild Boar to evolve!

Once it evolved, it would become a magical beast, too!