Battle and decision

As soon as Tom's crimson blade cut through the monster's skin, a wave of refreshing energy surged into his body. 

For a single moment, nothing changed in the place. As if stunned by the sudden appearance of a human amidst their ranks, monsters and animals failed to react. 

Thump. 

The dried-out corpse of the random monster that Layn consumed fell to the ground. For some reason, instead of pushing its energy for the size, the monster that Layn took out was of average size. 

'Heck, I was worried this forbidden spell would work on something like that, but I guess my worries were unnecessary,' Layn thought as he stared at the monster's corpse.

While alive, it looked like an oversized ant that somehow managed to walk upright. The lower part of its body served as the mobility part, while the upper part of its crust would roughly respond to a human chest and head alike.