Peeking from behind the tree, my eyes settled on the source of the groaning sound.
A massive mutated beast lay ahead.
Its body was white in color, covered with thick black stripes that ran across its broad frame. Two long trunk like extensions protruded from its mouth, resembling those of an elephant, yet far more rigid and rough in appearance. Even while lying down, the creature's size was enormous, nearly the height of a small wooden house. Its thick limbs rested heavily against the ground, and its sheer presence made the surrounding area feel smaller.
Even at a distance, the beast looked dangerous.
But after observing for a moment, I noticed something unusual.
The beast was badly injured.
Deep wounds covered parts of its body, and faint traces of blood stained the ground beneath it. Its breathing was uneven, and every few moments, it released a low groan, as if struggling just to remain conscious. One of its legs appeared partially torn, and a large wound was visible across its stomach.
I quietly shifted my gaze toward Charlie, keeping my voice low so as not to alert the beast.
"Charlie, it is badly injured. Maybe we can kill it," I whispered.
Charlie did not respond immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the massive creature ahead, his expression growing more focused. He observed the beast carefully, not just its wounds but the faint fluctuations of energy surrounding its body. The silence stretched for a few seconds as he assessed the situation.
Then, slowly, he shook his head.
"Based on the energy around its body, I can tell it is not a low level beast nor a moderate level," he replied softly, his tone calm but serious. "It is a high level beast."
Hearing that, I felt a sudden jolt of surprise.
A high level beast.
Even in its injured state, such a creature was far beyond anything we had faced so far. The difference between low level beasts and high level ones was not small. Their durability, strength, and instincts were on an entirely different scale.
My eyes returned to the massive creature lying ahead. Despite its injuries and weakened posture, its enormous frame and heavy presence made it clear that even now, it remained dangerous.
My gaze returned to the massive beast lying ahead. The more I observed it, the more unsettling it felt. The wounds on its body were deep and severe, some of them still faintly bleeding. Its breathing was uneven, and every few moments, a low groan escaped from its throat. Even so, it remained alive, its enormous body rising and falling slowly with each breath.
It was difficult to imagine what kind of creature could have injured something like this so badly. A high level beast being wounded to this extent meant that whatever had fought it must have been equally dangerous, or perhaps even stronger. The thought made me instinctively scan the surroundings for a moment, wondering if the other creature might still be nearby.
I turned back toward Charlie. "What do we do?"
Charlie remained silent for a moment, his eyes still fixed on the beast. He carefully observed its movements, its breathing, and the energy fluctuations around its body. His expression remained calm as he considered the situation.
After a few seconds, he spoke quietly.
"It looks badly injured, so maybe it is not in a position to attack," he said. "Let us attack it from here. If it tries to attack us, we retreat quickly. Otherwise, we kill it."
I nodded slowly, understanding his reasoning. Keeping distance would give us time to react if the beast suddenly attacked.
Beside me, Sham also gave a quiet nod. He adjusted his stance slightly, positioning himself in a way that allowed him to either move forward or retreat instantly, depending on how the situation unfolded.
All three of us quietly prepared ourselves. I shifted my footing slightly, keeping my body angled so I could retreat instantly if the beast showed even the slightest sign of aggression. The air around us felt tense, and none of us spoke further.
Charlie slowly raised his hand. Within moments, a small flame appeared, gradually condensing into a compact fire shot. The orange light flickered softly between his fingers, illuminating his hand and casting a faint glow across the nearby tree bark. The surrounding air warmed slightly as the fire stabilized, yet Charlie maintained careful control, ensuring the flame remained steady and contained.
He aimed carefully toward the beast, keeping his movements slow and deliberate to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
I kept my eyes fixed on the massive creature, observing every small movement. My refined energy gathered quietly, ready to form shields instantly if the beast reacted. My focus remained sharp, prepared to retreat at the slightest change.
Charlie released the fire shot.
The glowing projectile moved forward in a straight path and struck the beast's leg. The fire dispersed slightly upon impact, scattering briefly across its thick hide. However, the flame left only a faint scorch mark on its skin, barely affecting the creature's massive body.
The beast showed no reaction.
It continued blinking slowly, its heavy eyelids moving lazily as another low groan escaped from its throat. Aside from that, there was no visible response, as if the fire shot had barely reached it. Its massive body remained still, and its breathing continued in the same strained rhythm.
I felt a quiet surprise seeing that. Low level beasts usually reacted more noticeably when struck by Charlie's fire. But this high level beast seemed to ignore the attack entirely, as though the flame had caused little more than mild discomfort.
Charlie frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing as he studied the creature again. He briefly glanced back at Sham and me, silently confirming our readiness. Without speaking, he gathered refined energy once more.
This time, the flame forming in his palm grew brighter and more concentrated. The fire condensed into a denser shot, its glow more intense than before. The surrounding air warmed slightly as Charlie stabilized the energy, carefully controlling the strength of the attack.
He aimed again, this time targeting the large wound across the beast's stomach.
Then he released the fire shot.
The stronger projectile moved forward and struck directly into the open wound on the beast's stomach.
As soon as the fire shot struck the wound, the beast reacted.
A low groan escaped from its throat, deeper and more strained than before. Its massive head shifted slightly, the movement slow but noticeable. The two trunk like extensions near its mouth twitched faintly as its breathing grew uneven for a brief moment. Its eyelids moved sluggishly, as if the creature was forcing itself to remain conscious.
After a moment, its eyes opened partially.
The large, dull eyes slowly moved, scanning the surroundings before settling in our direction. Even from a distance, I could feel the weight of its gaze as it focused on us.
The beast saw us.
Immediately, all three of us tensed. My body stiffened instinctively, and I shifted my footing, ready to retreat at the slightest movement. Sham lowered his stance slightly, while Charlie remained steady, his attention fixed on the beast's next action.
We waited.
But instead of reacting aggressively, the beast's head slowly lowered again. Its eyelids drooped halfway, and its breathing returned to its earlier strained rhythm. The brief moment of awareness seemed to fade as it settled back into its weakened state.
The tension eased slightly.
I exhaled quietly, though I did not fully relax.
Charlie turned his head slightly toward us and spoke softly, "I think it is not in position to attack us so..."
"Charlie, watch out!" I shouted suddenly.
Charlie reacted instantly. The moment he heard my warning, he turned back and pushed himself sideways, jumping away without hesitation.
At that exact moment, a massive tail came crashing down where he had been standing.
The impact was heavy and sudden. The thick tail struck the ground with tremendous force, shaking the surrounding area. Dry leaves and loose soil burst upward, scattering into the air as the ground trembled beneath us. The sound echoed through the trees, loud and abrupt, breaking the quiet atmosphere of the forest.
The force of the impact sent a shockwave outward.
I felt my body lifted slightly before being pushed backward. The ground rushed beneath me as I was thrown across the forest floor, sliding through dry leaves and loose dirt. A dull pain spread through my back as I struggled to regain control.
Sham was thrown in another direction, his body pushed several meters away as he rolled across the ground.
Camose tightened suddenly around my arm, squeezing hard in fear.
Pain shot through my arm as I landed roughly against the ground. I quickly pushed myself up, ignoring the discomfort. Camose remained tightly wrapped, its small body trembling slightly.