As soon as the glowing shield appeared behind him, a violent force slammed into the light shield, sending shockwaves rippling through the trees. The impact was so powerful that Zayen was pushed several steps forward.
Cracks began to spread across the glowing shield like spiderwebs.
Looking at the cracks on the shield, Zayen narrowed his eyes.
Zayen turned his head to look at what had just attacked him right now.
He saw a giant rat with pitch-black fur and blood-red eyes glaring, looking at him with murderous eyes, like a hunter sizing up its prey.
At this moment, it glared at Zayen with blood-red eyes.
It really was one of these damned humans who had killed many of its kind and had also severely wounded it.
[Name]: Marshroom Rat King (Elite)
[Level]: 1
Attack: 17
Speed: 25 (-10)
Defense: 20
[Skills]: Spore Puff, Burrow Nibble
Looking through the Mushroom Rat king's information, Zayen quickly realized something surprising.
Aside from his attack power—which was slightly higher—every other attribute he had was actually lower than the Mushroom Rat king's.
Zayen then noticed that one of the Mushroom Rat king's front paws was lost; otherwise, its speed would not have been reduced by ten points.
"You're so injured, yet you still dare to provoke me? Do you really think I'm easy to bully?"
[Divine Manifestation]
Zayen again activated the Divine Manifestation skill, creating a glowing golden long sword in his hand.
The Mushroom Rat King, knowing that it had failed its sneak attack, immediately rushed forward and pounced at Zayen again.
Holding the long golden sword tightly, he rushed out like a hungry wolf.
As the Mushroom Rat King's heavy strike rushed straight for him, Zayen reacted quickly. A golden shield formed in front of him, its surface rippling with light.
CRACK—!
The shield lasted only a single breath before shattering into countless fragments of golden light.
The remaining force slammed into Zayen's chest.
BOOM!
His body was hurled backward like a ragdoll, crashing into a massive tree trunk with a dull, heavy thud.
"Bang!"
The impact shook loose several leaves as Zayen slid down the bark, pain rippling through his ribs.
The Mushroom Rat King also landed steadily on the ground.
However, there was a long bloodstain on the right side of its neck.
The flat wound was cut by Zaye's sword, and there were even traces of burning.
This kind of injury was far more painful than ordinary knife wounds.
"ROAR!"
The burning pain made the Mushroom Rat King let out a painful and angry roar after landing on the ground.
"Damn it!"
Zayen pushed himself up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
If it wasn't for the golden shield taking part of the impact—and the fact that the Mushroom Rat King had underestimated him and didn't use any of its skills in that first strike—his bones would've already been broken.
The Mushroom Rat King, after missing its last strike, spun around and pounced at Zayen again.
This time, Zayen slipped to the side with ease.
As he landed, he swung his golden longsword, cutting across the beast's back.
Pfft!
The sharp blade tore through its fur, revealing fresh red flesh underneath.
"Awooo—!"
The Mushroom Rat King shrieked, glaring hatefully at the human who dared wound it again.
Only now did it realize this human wasn't like the others it had hunted.
And with its body already injured, its speed could no longer keep up with him.
Without speed, it had no advantage.
Without hesitation, the Rat King began digging into the ground, desperate to escape.
"Still trying to run?"
A severely wounded Mushroom Rat King was practically handing itself to him.
There was no way Zayen would let it go.
He leaped up, gripped the sword with both hands, and stabbed down toward its back.
Pfft!
The blade sank deep, and the Rat King let out another painful roar.
It stopped digging immediately and burst forward in a frantic attempt to flee.
But Zayen was still on its back, holding tightly to the glowing golden sword embedded in its body.
The Rat King tried shaking him off, but no matter how violently it thrashed, he didn't budge.
Its running speed had dropped to less than a quarter of normal—escaping was impossible.
"Trying to run? Let's see how long you last."
Zayen twisted the sword hilt.
Crunch!
The blade rotated inside the Rat King's flesh, and the beast screamed in agony before collapsing heavily to the ground, barely clinging to life.
"Why did you stop? Weren't you running?"
Zayen yanked the sword free and jumped off its back.
"It's time to die."
He walked toward the dying Mushroom Rat King, sword in hand, ready to end it.
ROAR!
At that moment, the beast suddenly surged up, its bloody jaws snapping toward him in a last-ditch attempt to take him down.
Zayen didn't panic.
He raised his hand, summoning a golden shield to block the lunge, then stepped aside and drove the sword forward with all his strength.
Pfft!
The blade pierced straight into the Rat King's neck, cutting through its throat.
Its attack froze mid-motion.
A moment later, the massive body collapsed to the ground.
The light faded from its eyes… and its life force slowly drained away.
Zayen finally let out a long breath and slumped onto the ground.
His chest rose and fell heavily, each inhale burning a little from the earlier hit.
"...Haaah… damn thing."
Sweat mixed with the dirt on his face as he leaned back against a tree, letting his muscles relax.
After a moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly crushed cigarette.
His hands were still trembling a bit, but he managed to place it between his lips and flick his lighter.
Click… click… fssst.
A small flame appeared, and the cigarette tip glowed bright red.
Zayen took a long drag, exhaling slowly as the smoke drifted upward.
"…That's better."
The tension in his shoulders eased.
The forest was silent now, the Mushroom Rat King lying dead not far away.
Zayen stared at the sky through the gaps in the leaves, letting the smoke calm his heartbeat.
"First day in this place… and I'm already fighting a boss-level beast," he muttered with a tired grin.
He took another drag, letting the smoke curl out of his mouth as he leaned his head back and caught his breath.