Tougher than I thought

His body tumbled uncontrollably down the hill, smashing against rocks and roots as he squirmed with every roll, desperately trying to halt his fall. Eventually, he came to a stop, groaning in pain, every inch of his body protesting the violent descent.

"Fuck!!" Guilliman cursed loudly, raising his head to glare at the Black Rabbit King still looming atop the hill. His encounter with the Wind Direwolf had been easy in comparison;

it was weak after weeks of being harassed. But this—this was a different beast. The difference in their strength was painfully obvious now.

'Do I even have a chance?' Guilliman thought,

his eyes drifting to the short dagger still clutched tightly in his hand. He sighed deeply; the Black Rabbit King had destroyed his weapon earlier, leaving him with nothing but the weak blade and a growing sense of desperation.

This was bad.

He scanned the area frantically, hoping for some kind of solution. His gaze landed on a figure in the distance, and an idea sparked in his mind.

"That will do," he muttered bitterly, a wry smirk playing on his lips. He staggered to his feet and moved several meters to the left, crouching down beside the fallen figure.

—Chu

—Chu

Under the furious gaze of the Black Rabbit King, Guilliman swiftly severed the blade-like hands from a Black-Blade Rabbit. Holding the severed limbs in his hands, he stood tall, his defiance clear as he faced the beast.

This was an act of humiliation—using the body parts of its own children as weapons against it. There could be no greater insult.

The Black Rabbit King let out an enraged screech, its fury palpable as it leapt into the air, achieving a tremendous height before diving toward Guilliman with blinding speed and precision. It was determined to kill this human, even if it meant its own death.

—Ding!!

The two collided again in a frenzy of lethal strikes. Guilliman fought with every ounce of skill he had.

Though still young, he was a seasoned shaman who had spent years hunting and fighting beasts. His life, before his coming-of-age ceremony, had been full of such expeditions. Despite his lack of formal training, his instincts and experience served him well.

—Ding

—Ding

—Ding

Sparks of light erupted with each clash of their weapons, the sound of metal ringing through the air.

Guilliman's face was slick with sweat, his concentration absolute. Every strike, every dodge, was executed with precision, but it was clear that the power difference was immense.

His opponent's speed and strength were overwhelming, yet Guilliman's years of training kept him in the fight, his will to survive pushing him onward.

However, even his best efforts weren't enough. With a brutal sideways swing of its blade, the Black Rabbit King knocked Guilliman back several steps, forcing him to struggle to regain his balance.

"Ghost!" Guilliman gritted his teeth, calling out. From thin air, a shadowy figure materialized behind the Black Rabbit King, claws raking across its back. The beast let out a startled growl, instinctively leaping into the air to avoid the sudden attack.

"Hm?" The Black Rabbit King landed a few meters away and reached for its back, sensing the blood trickling down its skin. It frowned, displeased. A sneak attack from a human—perhaps, but from a descendant of that monster? It was disgraceful!

The Black Rabbit King, though a fearsome predator, couldn't understand the true nature of its attacker.

It thought it was being deceived by some illusion. What it didn't realize was that the being it had dismissed as a mere manifestation was, in fact, the real deal.

"Huuu," Guilliman exhaled sharply, catching his breath. He swung the two blades in his hands, adopting a fighting stance. Ghost crouched beside him, ready for another attack. Together, they would take down the Black Rabbit King—or so they hoped.

…

Meanwhile, a young man in bulky armor was making his way through the forest, clearly irritated and exhausted.

Nolan had become a Slayer just a few hours ago, securing a kill and immediately starting to act like a tyrant. He seized every opportunity to take whatever had been caught in the traps, making it impossible for anyone else to succeed.

Barthold had wanted to confront him several times, but Nolan's childish provocations were too ridiculous to waste energy on. If he'd known how things would turn out, he would have left with the scrawny kid ages ago.

"Hm?" As Barthold ventured deeper into the forest, he noticed something odd. The Black-Blade Rabbits seemed to have disappeared—almost as if they had vanished entirely.

Curious, he decided to investigate a noise he had just heard—the unmistakable sound of metal clashing. He climbed onto a tall rock, his eyes scanning the surrounding area.

At first, there was nothing. No Black-Blade Rabbits, no humans. The forest felt unnaturally quiet, like he'd ventured too far.

But then, suddenly, a flash of light flickered in the distance, drawing his attention.

"That can't be him, right?" Barthold was taken aback, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

—Ding

—Ding

—Ding

The sound of metal clashing against metal rang through the forest. Guilliman, fighting for his life, gripped his trembling blade.

The Black Rabbit King had proven far more powerful than he had expected. It had humbled him again and again during their fight, each strike reminding him of just how outmatched he was.

Guilliman's thoughts turned bitter. He had foolishly thought he could defeat a monster with blades for hands. Its very evolution had been tailored for battle.

"Maybe I should just give up," Guilliman thought, his body trembling with exhaustion. Sweat poured from his forehead, soaking his chest.

The mutant-rank rabbit king was far stronger than he had anticipated. It had broken his ribs, cut open his flesh, and left him on the brink of collapse. No matter how he planned, no matter how he fought, he was being overwhelmed at every turn.

It was only now, as the reality of his situation set in, that Guilliman realized his earlier victory against Ghost in its true form had been pure, unadulterated luck.

"I have to create distance," Guilliman thought desperately. With all the strength he had left, he called for Ghost to launch forward, the spectral wolf slashing at the Black Rabbit King's back.

—Grrr

The Black Rabbit King growled in annoyance. "That damn wolf!" it thought, infuriated by the constant attacks.

"Now!" Guilliman saw the distraction he needed. With a swift twist of his body, he dashed away, hoping to create some space between himself and the beast.

But as he ran, his body suddenly felt weightless. The gravity around him seemed to shift.

"What the…" Guilliman's eyes widened in realization. The Black Rabbit King had tripped him.

"Fuck!!" Guilliman twisted his body mid-fall, facing the Black Rabbit King with his blade raised defensively. He had made a fatal mistake with his earlier move, leaving himself open to the creature's counterattack.

With its blades gleaming under the moonlight, the Black Rabbit King lunged forward, its intent clear—to finish him off once and for all.