Rise of Super Beast

A forest filled with lonesome, towering trees that seemed to pierce the sky, densely packed together.

"Is everything in place?"

"Positive."

"Start the trial."

"Order confirmed."

Casting a glance at the forest territory, a broad-shouldered man put down the walkie-talkie and entered a camp filled with numerous monitors. The screens displayed a boy surrounded by the flora and fauna of the dense forest.

***

A black snake, 12 feet long, slithered in an S-shape. Its pace instantly doubled, hissing as its tongue flicked out, moving toward its prey. Crawling on the ground, a delicious target appeared in its sight.

Opening its maw wide, a dark cavernous void seemed to materialize, ready to swallow the boy's legs whole.

The hair on the boy's body stood on end. Alert, he reflexively took a step back.

What the hell!

A massive snake appeared before his eyes. Shaking his head, he muttered, "Another trial for a new owner."

In an instant, the boy appeared behind the snake, wielding a sword.

Thump!

The snake was sliced into two pieces, and the green scenery was fed with its blood.

The boy stood on a tree branch, flicking his finger to scatter a drop of blood—snake blood—on the ground. His eyes sharpened as he scanned his surroundings.

Too harsh to survive.

I can't survive.

The sunlight is fading.

Night will be terrible.

Time to search for shelter.

These would be the thoughts of any boy his age. But here, he was facing something even adults would find terrifying.

Releasing all the soreness in one breath, his eyes firmed.

"I can't let them down."

He moved swiftly, holding a rabbit desperately struggling to escape his grip. Without hesitation, he severed its head and gulped the blood in one go.

"This is enough to satiate the thirst."

Instantly, a dagger materialized, engulfed in elemental fire, roasting the rabbit half alive.

"It's good."

"Time to prove my worth." He sprinted in the opposite direction.

***

A loud roar reverberated, sending all the smaller creatures scurrying to safety.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his lips, his eyes flickered.

"It's been a long time since I fought without using dirty tricks."

Before him stood a three-meter-tall creature, radiating an air of disgust and unease. Though Sam had already fought one round with it, he couldn't describe why.

This isn't a wild beast.

Focusing, he analyzed: A creature with rough skin, two sharp canines, and razor-like nails about five centimeters long. If I get caught, my survival chance is less than 10 percent. It stands on two legs with a hunched torso.

The unsettling feeling came from its head—countless eyes in a mutilated shape, with no other facial features.

"Well, it doesn't matter since it's part of my mission."

Sam evaluated his options. "The sword isn't giving me an edge," and his sword transformed into a whip with countless small nails embedded at its end.

"These small nails won't even taste blood. Let's make them bigger."

Sam took a deep breath, and the nails began to grow longer, maintaining their sharpness.

A bead of sweat formed on his forehead. "I can't do more," he muttered, a smile lighting up his pale face.

"Ten centimeters. That's enough to finish it."

The creature growled, tearing a long tree from the ground and hurling it toward Sam. Calmly, Sam evaded the attack, and the whip carved an arc through the air.

Hiss! The beast let out a soft growl, its countless eyes shifting left and right before suddenly going still.

The next moment, Sam found himself on the ground, blinking in confusion.

What happened?

His hair stood on end, and he shifted from the spot instinctively.

Thump!

A massive stone chunk crashed where he'd been moments earlier, changing the landscape. If I'd been a moment late…

Sam brushed off the thought. His intrinsic skills honed during training made this no real threat, but the issue remained: Why did I fall? What happened in that moment?

Could the creature's eyes have abilities? Or perhaps just one specific eye—or every eye?

As the battle continued, Sam grew more aware of the creature's cunning. Though it seemed manageable initially, it was becoming more formidable as the fight progressed.

Dusting off the soil, his eyes flickered.

This isn't the first time I've faced this situation. I'm no stranger to it, so there's no room for fear. Only results matter—to pass this trial.

The whip returned to his hand, and he struck again.

The same thing happened: he found himself on the ground.

This time, though, he noticed something strange.

Let's test this again.

The creature, however, didn't use its ability this time. It evaded the whip and slashed at him with its razor claws.

Shush!

A shallow scratch marred his abdomen, tearing the fabric of his shirt.

Sam's eyes sharpened.

Is it adapting… or learning?

The thought was dangerous.

Humans have survived by relying on their intelligence. If beasts begin to learn like us, humanity could become livestock in the future.

Shaking off the thought, he muttered, "That has nothing to do with me."

The aura around him shifted. Materializing the sword once more, he decided, "I can't win unless I understand all its abilities."

Charging toward the creature's eyes, he clashed sword against claw.

Clank! Sparks flew on impact.

The creature stepped back, throwing Sam off balance. Sam landed gracefully, then materialized the sword into a bow, firing five arrows.

Clank! Clank!

Only one arrow struck—piercing its lower abdomen—while the rest, aimed at the creature's eyes, were deflected.

Testing his theory, Sam fired two arrows at the eyes and three at other spots.

The same pattern emerged: the creature prioritized defending its eyes and heart while other areas were left vulnerable.

Sam didn't give the creature a chance to stabilize and continuously shot arrows at it.

Shush Shush

One by one, the arrows were deflected toward vital organs, but the wounding area kept increasing.

Drip

Blood fell to the ground and evaporated quickly.

Sam flinched.

Someone had smuggled the creature from Mega Planet!

This realization was enough to make his blood boil. Stroking the bow, he hissed, "Time for my companion to taste your blood."

His ears were alert as he disappeared from the spot.

"Who's there?"