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I approached the bat that had fallen to the ground to check its condition. It was enormous, with a body length of about two meters and a wingspan stretching nearly eight meters. It resembled a pterosaur more than a typical bat. Being a bloodsucker type, it had unusually large canine teeth and a long nose, giving it a dog-like face.

If I had to describe it, I’d say it looked like a pig-nosed Doberman with bat wings.
In the center of its chest, there was a gaping hole, large enough for Susie’s head to easily pass through.

“It pierced so cleanly! Learning to control this was a good call. This is how it should be. I don’t know what I was thinking going around and just shooting everything down until now!”

Suddenly, I sensed several presences approaching me.

“Judging by the movements, these are probably wolf-type Mobs. There’s 12, no 13 of them.” I counted as they closed in, slowly forming a circle around me.

“Were they in a turf war with that bat? Or did they just get a whiff of its blood? Or are they maybe after the beautiful lady standing here?” I wondered aloud. With a wink and a playful gesture, I put my index finger to my lips in a mock attempt to act coy.

Completely failing at my seduction act.

It was a complete miss—an awkward attempt at humor. Realizing the blunder, I turned my head to the side, feeling a little embarrassed. There’s nothing lonelier than a joke without anyone to react, but thankfully, no one was watching.

I instantly gave up on the seduction act, but it turned out to be the right move after all—or more precisely, it was my scent that had drawn them in.

After a while, I spotted several wolves approaching from the west. Four or five more were creeping up from behind, but they were well hidden by the trees and bushes.

(I see… If they’re intentionally showing themselves and leading me toward the smaller group, they’re probably planning an ambush. Or maybe they’re planning to attack me from the back if I face that group head-on.)

I mused, realizing how clever the wolves were. I couldn’t help but marvel at their strategy.

“So they’re Black Hellhounds. Weren’t hellhounds like the guard dogs of hell? They seem to be about 3-4 meters long. A bit smaller than the white wolves I encountered earlier. They also appear to be five ranks lower.”

Though I called them “smaller,” a three-meter-long wolf was still huge. Clearly, there was a bit of a mismatch in my perception.

Among the pack, I noticed one wolf that was larger than the rest—no doubt the leader. The moment I spotted him, I rushed at him without hesitation.

The hellhounds, realizing their prey was coming toward them, shifted to try and intercept me.

The boss accelerated ahead of the group, maintaining a slight distance. On his left and right, hellhounds appeared, positioning themselves strategically behind him to form a tactical trio, likely intending to attack in succession.

The distance between them and me closed rapidly. As soon as the hellhound boss was in range, he leaped at me, aiming for my throat, intending to bite down and pin me with its weight.

Even if it failed, the remaining two hellhounds were about to pounce on me to try and ruin my balance, dragging me down. If they managed to drag me down, it’d be their win, and they’d get to sink their fangs into my body. The hellhounds appeared confident, as if they’d already captured their prey.

However, just before they could touch me, I moved fluidly, twisting my body to the side as if my spine were made of a flexible spring. Simultaneously, my right arm, still holding a sword, rose upward, cutting through the air.

The sword was now enveloped in a thin, nearly invisible layer of Chi. It was so delicate that even those who could sense Chi would need to look closely to notice it. The edge of the blade was sharpened to be razor thin.

As the hellhound boss lunged at me, its paws met my blade. The sword passed through them with no resistance, slicing cleanly from the Mob’s chin to the back of its head in one swift, fluid motion.

(Huh? It can still move? Then…) I thought as I raised my left arm in the same fluid motion. This time, the blade sliced cleanly from the base of the hellhound’s foot to its neck.

(It’s still moving!) I raised my right arm again, this time sweeping down as the left arm lifted.

I continued to swing my arms left and right. My body moved in perfect sync with the sword, light reflecting off the blade and forming streaks of light that seemed to envelop me.

The once-ferocious Hellhound was still stuck in the air when it was forcefully torn apart, its flesh and blood scattering before falling back to the ground in pieces. I moved effortlessly, dodging the splashes of blood as I dispatched the second and third Hellhounds in a similar, deadly manner. Swaying, almost as if dancing, I chopped them down.

The remaining hellhounds couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. Their advance pack was nowhere to be seen; something had clearly scattered, yet their prey—me—was still standing. Regardless, the remaining hellhounds continued to close in tighter, believing they’d captured me. It seemed like their only thought was catching me.

The remaining 10 Hellhounds surrounded me in a circle and began to close in.

Then, in a single flash, I spun on the spot, and countless lines of light ran around me. Just as the hellhounds were one leap away from sinking their teeth into me, they were suddenly scattered into countless pieces of flesh.

I exhaled softly, letting out a long, steady breath as the battle drew to a close.

“I can control it way better than I imagined. I guess I’ll stick with the D Rank equipment for now until I get the hang of it.”

By using gear with a lower Chi threshold, I was deliberately trying to improve my ability to control myself.

“I wonder if armor can become stronger if infused with Chi. I’m certain shields will become way more sturdy if I do it.”

I mused, running my hands over different parts of my armor.

“It’d be interesting to test if I take less damage by coating my body with Chi… Wait… I have yet to take any damage from Mobs! Am I dumb?! I guess I shouldn’t be asking that… Well, I guess that’s normal; after all, not a single Mob has managed to land an attack on me!”

I crossed my arms, thinking deeply.

(What should I do about this?)

Looking up at the sky, I noticed the sun was already beginning to set.

“It’ll be night soon. And I’ve already walked quite a bit today. I’ll leave damage testing for tomorrow. Right now, I need to find a spot to settle down and make camp for the night. A safe, secure spot where I can prepare. First things first, I need to clear the surroundings! It’d be great if there’s a water source nearby as well. I’ll be able to wash up whenever I want. Okay! Time to find a place! A good place to clean up and dive myself under the blanket! Let’s gooooooo!!!”

I started bouncing with excitement, heading south with renewed energy. I’d already decided where I’d be going next, and I could only hope that nothing bad would come out of this time.