Antlers of Nightmare

(ML PoV)

Upon the damp grass, his steps fell softly. Day swiftly turned to night. The chorus of insects and small creatures filled his ears.

His stomach felt ready to burst. Too much flesh had entered his body. He killed and left the corpses lying there after just one or two bites. His goal was clear—to obtain his prey's abilities.

His body was indeed growing larger. His muscles were growing stronger. Even so, the reality was that he had gained very few new abilities.

Whether it was because his prey possessed no unique abilities, or because he was incapable of extracting them.

Warm steam heaved out through his nostrils. Again... it's truly not as easy as I imagined, huh...?

As he gazed at the thousands of stars suspended in the firmament, a gust of night wind rustled his fur.

Ah. Perhaps it's time to go home.

Not wanting to deal with the far more terrifying monsters of the night, he turned around, preparing to return to his cave. But... suddenly, his left flank throbbed violently, as if remembering the trauma inflicted by the deer's fangs two nights prior.

The wolf clenched his jaws.

He is here!

Rustle. Rustle.

Just as he was about to leave, the bush beside him swayed. His steps halted. He lowered his head warily and let out a low growl, ready for anything that might come.

His nose detected nothing, nor did his other senses. It was exactly the same as when he had first encountered him.

Swoosh!

A small shadow leaped out, making him reflexively jump backward. However, his muscles relaxed when he realized the shadow was merely a frog. He let out a sigh of relief.

Huff. You almost made my heart jum—

Crash!

Just as he felt relieved, a shadow shot forth and pounced on the frog in front of him, creating a gaping hole right there. Blood trickled down, soaking the earth beneath.

There was no time to be shocked. A thousand steps were immediately taken without waiting for the moonlight to reveal the large figure before him.

Sure enough, the air temperature rose drastically, cold sweat pouring from his temples. He didn't need to look back to know.

"Grooookh!"

Damn it! Why must I encounter him again so soon?

The chase ensued once more between them. This time, the deer immediately ignited the fire on its body, rendering the tactic of sneaking between tree roots useless. It would undoubtedly charge through anything in its path without hesitation.

The wolf tried to sniff the air, hoping to catch the scent of another powerful monster to pit against it.

It didn't take long. His nose caught a pungent smell not far away. He deftly led the chase towards the source of the scent.

The soggy, wet ground was no hindrance to him at all. The thick fur padding his paws allowed him to traverse easily without letting the muck stick and slow him down.

Not far ahead, his sharp pupils caught a large figure bathed in moonlight. A bear that had once allowed him to eat its leftover carcass.

His lips curled sharply, revealing a row of neatly arranged fangs.

There it is... sorry, but I need your help.

He quickened his pace. After consuming many monsters, his leg muscles felt stronger and lighter. That was what allowed him to maintain a safe distance from the deer without needing to zigzag much.

Once close enough, the wolf immediately leaped sideways into the bushes to observe from there. Intent on feasting on the flesh of whichever one lost.

The bear and the deer stared at each other for a moment.

The deer took the first step. It moved slowly, circling the bear while growling to intimidate.

The bear stood on its hind legs and rotated its body, tracking the deer's movement. That action was clearly to avoid being attacked from its blind spot.

In the wild, no matter how strong you are, you will fall instantly if your opponent attacks your vitals through a blind spot. Those who can deliver a surprise attack stealthily have a higher chance of victory while also avoiding the risk of injury.

He knew well that injury in the wild was a severe disadvantage. Danger could come at any time. Be it from calamitous predators, or even prey could become a great threat.

There was no chivalry, it was all purely driven by the instinct to survive. Sometimes... the law of the jungle isn't about who is strong, but about who wins, no matter how dirty the method.

The last, I just need to wait.

He watched their fight from the bushes at a safe distance.

The bear stood tall, the claws previously hidden neatly within its furry digits now extended, gleaming brightly under the moonlight. Its eyes glowed red, focused intently on its opponent's movements.

Meanwhile, the deer kept circling it while brandishing the long, irregular fangs protruding from its jaw.

Slowly but surely, the deer increased its speed. Leaves caught fire. Ashes scattered. A fire tornado began to form around the bear.

The wolf didn't know precisely what was happening inside that fire tornado, but he could see the shadow of the bear bending its right arm before slashing it diagonally.

The swipe of its claw formed a wind wave, splitting the tornado apart. Then, it launched a barrage of attacks.

Dozens of wind waves flew indiscriminately. Trees were split in two when struck by its slashes.

The wolf moved even farther away, watching and planning to claim the life of whoever stood last.

One slash successfully hit the deer's flank. Blood poured out profusely, making it shriek in pain before attempting to flee.

"Graaaahh!"

But the bear wouldn't let it escape so easily. Once more, it bent its arm, preparing to launch an attack. Wind began gathering around its limb.

However, the deer then turned around. Its antlers glowed red, pointed forward. The fire enveloping its body was no more, instead channeled entirely into its antlers.

The bear narrowed its eyes, then swung its attack forward.

Its claw slash shot forth, clashing directly with the deer's antlers.

Crash!

Their attacks collided. One of the deer's antlers was sent flying into the air. But it kept charging forward, as if uncaring about the loss of one antler.

Squelch.

The remaining antler pierced clean through the bear's stomach.

The bear vomited blood from its mouth. It staggered weakly before finally collapsing to the ground with its guts torn open.

In the distance, the wolf let out a sigh. His eyes stared vacantly into the distance.

It was obvious... wasn't it?

The deer stood up, then slammed its front hoof into the bear's stomach, causing its blood to flow even more intensely.

The bear struggled with its last strength, trying to claw the deer's face. But, whether from exhaustion or the pain of the impaling antler, its claws seemed slow and powerless.

The deer easily caught its arm with its jaws. With one pull, the skin of its arm tore from the fangs.

Once again, the bear could only lie helplessly on the ground.

But the deer didn't finish it off. Instead, it continuously tortured the powerless bear with its fangs and front hooves, tearing and battering it without end.

Something stirred, raging violently within the wolf's chest as he watched its futile struggle. His front claws dug deeply into the grass, as if trying to shred it.

His jaw trembled, restraining the strange emotion urging him on.

What is this feeling? He's just an animal... we don't even know each other. But... why do I feel so enraged?

Just as the deer's fangs were about to plunge into the bear's chest, the wolf, without thinking, pushed himself forward.

Slowly... before then breaking into a run through the bushes.

That's right! He let me eat his carcass that time. I must repay the debt!