The Smiling Death

Amon stood on his feet immediately, commanding his shadow to bring back the hatchet.

The attack had hit the monster's chest. A small wound formed for the first time.

But it was not gravely injured. It still moved toward Amon. He conjured another spell.

[Mana Bullet]

Again, it hit the same position.

"Arrghh!"

This time, it yelled in pain for the first time.

Blood flew, but the wound was still not too deep. The monster was already within reach of Amon.

Splash!

But the hatchet, which was coming through the air, dug into the back of the monster's knee.

And it made a cut.

The creature staggered.

Its movement faltered for the first time.

Amon didn't waste the opening.

He surged forward, shadows flaring around his legs as he closed the distance in a heartbeat.

From close distance, he slashed horizontally.

[Umbral Veil Sword Art: First Form – Crescent of Dusk]

A crescent-shaped dark slash of shadow moved toward the monster.

SLASH!

The slash tore through the monster's right arm at the elbow.

For a split second...nothing.

Then.

The severed limb dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

Blackened blood sprayed out, hissing softly as it hit the forest floor.

"ROAAARRR—!!"

The monster screamed, a shrill, distorted sound that echoed through the trees. It staggered backward, clutching the stump with its remaining hand. Its pale eyes flared brighter, flickering wildly.

Amon backed away immediately, chest heaving.

His arms trembled. His legs felt like lead. But he was still standing.

'Got it…'

Blood dripped from his blade as he raised it again, ready for the counterattack.

Amon's eyes were serious. Blade ready to slash.

The monster snarled and lowered its stance.

It bent its knees. Its muscles tensed.

Amon felt it.

The killing intent surged.

'It's coming—'

But then.

The creature froze. Completely.

Its head jerked slightly to the side. Then another.

Its pale eyes shifted past him, deeper into the forest.

Amon frowned.

"…What?"

The air changed.

The forest grew even quieter, as if the wind itself had stopped breathing.

The monster's body stiffened unnaturally. Its breathing became erratic, those thin slits on its face flaring wide. A low, anxious sound escaped its throat but not rage.

Fear.

Amon's grip tightened.

'What the hell…?'

The creature took a step back.

Then another.

Its gaze darted around wildly, scanning the darkness between the trees.

And then.

Without warning it turned.

BOOM!

It kicked off the ground with explosive force, ignoring its wounded leg. Its body blurred as it sprinted into the forest, crashing through branches and shadows with terrifying speed.

In seconds.

It was gone.

The sounds faded.

Silence returned.

Amon stood there, frozen, sword still raised.

"…It ran?"

His breathing was loud in his ears.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart pounded violently as he slowly lowered his weapon.

The forest remained still.

No pursuit. No ambush. Nothing.

Only the faint rustling of leaves far in the distance.

Amon swallowed hard.

"What… scared that thing?"

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

He looked around carefully, shadows curling tightly around his feet, ready to react at the slightest movement.

But nothing came.

He was alone again.

In the middle of the dark forest.

Amon exhaled shakily and leaned on his sword for support, his whole body aching.

"…That was too close."

Blood continued to drip from his arm. And somewhere deep within the forest. Something had made a monster flee.

"It's getting dark… and because of this dense dark forest, it's already hard to see in the forest."

'I need to get out of here. The monster is clearly afraid of something… damn, I didn't get anything.'

Amon retrieved his fallen hatchet.

Putting it back into his ring, his eyes fell on the cleaved arm of the monster.

It had black skin—long, twisted, and ugly.

"No way… do I need to eat that thing?" Amon rubbed his temples.

Well, he didn't have any choice. This was better than having nothing.

He lifted the heavy arm.

Black blood continued to drip from it.

"Shitt! So disgusting… but guess I can't help it."

He tried to put the thing into his ring. He was lucky that it actually stored inside.

"Let's get out of here before something else comes."

Amon dashed in the direction where he came from.

Stomp! Stomp!

He ran faster, his feet strengthened by mana.

For some reason, he slowly began to feel fear.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart beat faster in fear.

He ran.

Branches whipped past his face as he pushed through the forest, boots pounding against uneven soil. The darkness thickened with every step, the grey sky above barely filtering any light through the dense canopy of black leaves.

Stomp! Stomp!

Amon forced mana into his legs, his movements becoming faster, lighter. Still, his eyes kept darting around, searching.

The marks. The crosses he had made on the tree bark.

'There…'

There—on the bark of a tree.

A shallow cross, barely visible in the dim light.

He veered toward it immediately.

Stomp!

Another mark appeared a few steps ahead.

'Another…'

He followed it, breathing hard, sweat mixing with blood as it ran down his arm. The forest felt tighter now, the trees crowding closer together as if trying to block his path.

The wind whispered. Not random. Too deliberate.

Amon's grip tightened unconsciously.

'I'm not alone…'

He couldn't see anything. No footsteps. No shadows moving.

But the pressure on his back was undeniable. Something was there. Amon could feel it.

It was watching him. Following him.

His skin prickled, every instinct screaming at him to run faster.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart slammed against his ribs, fear crawling up his spine.

He passed another cross carved into bark. This one half-scratched, almost swallowed by the black wood.

'Almost there…'

He pushed harder, mana flaring again as his legs burned. His breath came out in ragged gasps, lungs screaming for air.

The presence grew closer. Aggressive. Despite not being loud. It was closer.

Just there.

Like a gaze pressed between his shoulder blades.

Amon resisted the urge to look back.

'If I stop… I die.'

A branch cracked somewhere behind him.

CRACK.

His pulse spiked.

"Shit—"

He leaped over a fallen root, barely keeping his balance as he stumbled forward. Another mark flashed past his vision.

Then the trees began to thin. Just slightly.

Amon's eyes widened.

'The clearing…!'