Devourer System : Infinite Paths

'It is my first real battle, so maybe I should start small and look for a weaker creature, maybe a wolf, a gray hound, or an emberhide Lynx,' Nero thought, his heart pounding as he stared at the beast in the distance, feasting on a Thunderhorn Stag.

It was a hulking creature, a sword-tooth tiger with blade-like fangs protruding from its upper and lower jaws. It stood proud at nearly two meters tall and three meters in length.

His physique was covered in layers upon layers of refined muscles barely contained beneath his thick yellow-colored hide, littered with dark hollow circular patches.

It was no doubt the biggest and scariest beast Nero had seen up close other than the spider queen, and the thought of fighting the beast, who at the moment was tearing into the carcass of a healthy stag with ease, was unsettling, to say the least.

The sound of bones getting crushed rang far and wide, with a hint of blood permeating through the air. This only fuelled his desire to first test his strength against a lesser opponent.

Nero had hunted deer, sheep, and even a wolf that could effortlessly kill a normal human, but he had never faced a true predator of the jungle by putting his life on the line.

It was scary to go against a creature without armor or any real experience with a long sword he never learned to wield was terrifying, knowing well that while he would not die, he would get ripped open by the claws and sharp fangs of the beast.

'It will be a bloody mess of a battle if I mess up but also a blood-pumping one,' Nero considered, weighing the pros and cons.

'I can't just pick easy paths after gaining such unquantifiable means, as such weakness will lead me to no greatness, it will only hold me back,' Nero decided, the fear of pain vanishing from his eyes.

Nero took a few deep breaths to steady his racing heart before leaving the cover of the tree. He slowly began closing the nearly hundred-meter distance, and thanks to his shadow cloak, the beast did not even notice him approach, staying absorbed in his meal.

'HAAAAAA'

"You overgrown Cat, Come and get me," Nero roared out loud, taking out his blade with a quick draw.

Nero could have used the lunar forge skill to first injure the Tiger, but that would defeat the purpose of testing his strength against a decent First Rank Beast, who should already have fewer attributes than him.

The beast raised his head, revealing his face drenched in blood till his eyes, his snout curling up in anger as he bared his fang, a low ringing growl escaping his mouth seeing the seemingly weak figure who had dared to disturb his meal.

"GRRAAAWWWRRR"

The tiger roar started as a low growl, building in intensity until it exploded into a savage thunderclap reverberating through the jungle.

The beastly roar was followed by the sharp crack of bones as the tiger pressed down on the stag. Then, lunging forward, the tiger closed the distance in three strides that took him merely two seconds.

Nero felt his heart pumping as he firmly gripped the sword, ready to swing the blade, aiming to behead the tiger or at least deliver a critical blow.

The Tiger lunged at him, his massive body airborne, his jaws wide open as he came at him like an arrow. Seeing the opportunity, Nero pushed his legs down and swung with all his might, shifting his torso to the side to avoid staying in the direct course of the beast.

Nero felt bubbling excitement as his sword closed the gap in a flash, and seeing it was perfectly angeled, he expected it to slice right through the flesh and bones of the beast, but to his surprise, something completely unexpected happened.

The Tiger paw moved at a lightning pace and slammed his blade down, making Nero lose his balance as he tried to keep it going forward, but his efforts were all in vain, as before he knew it the beast was upon him, his wide-open jaw closing around his throat.

Nero felt panic grip his heart, as he felt sharp stings on his neck, as the razor-sharp fangs dug into his neck, his arm bent at an awkward angle as he struggled to push it up and forward in a desperate attempt to push the beast off.

However, it was already too late, and in a flash, he felt his back crash against the hard ground, a sense of pain and cold griping his mind, his eyes turning unfocussed as he swung his arms in pure desperation.

'You idiot, Snap out of your fear and do something, or you are dead,' The cold and emotionless voice that he had grown accustomed to tore through his panic-griped mind.

Draven did not take over to save their lives because he had made preparations to ensure that Nero would not die in a single hit. So, for the moment, he could relax and let his younger self live through an experience that would change him for the better.

Nero came to his senses, feeling the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth, his mind snapping out from the panic that gripped it as pure adrenalin rushed through his veins.

Nero moved his hand on the ground, searching for the sword, but before he could even find it, he felt a violent push as his windpipe and nearly half his throat were ripped out.

The urge to breathe was intense, but his desire to survive was greater, so without thinking, he swung his right fist into the neck of the tiger, a sickly crackle ringing out as his fist through the skin and flesh and dug deep into the neck.

The beast who was about to dig into his face and skull, ready to end his life, was forced to stop as his neck violently jerked right.

Nero swung from the left, achieving a similar result, and this time, a cracking bone followed the impact of his fist, sending pain reeling through the tiger, who roared in agony.

He pulled his right hand back, ready to throw another, when the beast finally retaliated, pushing his massive paw on his chest, his nail digging deep into his flesh before his ribcage caved in.

Neo already had no breathing ability, and when his chest caved, it only made his condition worse, but that did not stop him from struggling even fiercer for his life.

The Tiger jerked his head straight and dove with a wide open jaw to finish his prey, and Nero reacted by throwing his left arm forward, his fist meeting the beast's chin and forcing his jaw shut.

He followed by quickly swinging his right fist with all his might, landing a punch square behind his ear. The loud bang was accompanied by the cracking of bones ringing in the silent jungle.

Nero broke the Tiger's neck and skull but also shattered his own hand, but he did not even notice as he was busy pushing the beast off of him.

The Tiger was critically injured but still had breath in his body and retaliated by digging both his claws into Nero's already destroyed ribcage and guts, reaching it down as he was thrown back.

It was an utterly bloody sight as Nero pushed himself to his feet, his innards slipping out as he saw and picked up his sword before rushing toward the Tiger, who was turning to get to his feet.

Nero jumped forth and plunged the blade through the skull of the beast, instantly ending the life of the creature, and as if knowing his work was done, his legs gave away, making him fall to the ground.

He could barely think straight at this point as his vision was blurring, and he was losing control of his body. Before he could even think about his ruined state, he felt a tug on his mind, only for darkness to slowly engulf his senses.

Draven took control, happy with how things went, and since he did not have much time before he bled to death, he swiftly took out one of the gradeless healing potions and emptied it into his torn open neck.

He pushed forward, placed his hand on the dead tiger, and used devour to consume its vitality.

In a matter of seconds, his wounds began to mend, his bones fixed themselves, and his skin regenerated and knit together. Less than a minute later, he was healed, with the only proof of injury being the wet blood and torn cloaths.

'You lost your composer because you still have the mentality of the half-crimpled individual and do not believe in your strength,' Draven said, not one bit surprised by how the battle went.

'The tiger took me by surprise, but next time, I will be careful,' Nero said, knowing that the moment he saw the beast push his sword aside and dig into his neck, all his rationality and planning were gone, and the only thought he had was to get away.

'You will learn to control your emotions, strength, and techniques all through battle experience, but to hasten the process of building a good base, I will be giving you tasks that you will complete,'

'After each task, we will review what you did right and wrong and discuss ways to improve.' Draven said, giving body control back to Nero.