Chapter 9 - Entrance exam (5)

After a few seconds, Nathan was face to face with a bear like mutated beast in front of him.

Upon seeing it, Nathan let out a quiet sigh of relief as he sized up the creature in front of him. It was just a mutated beast, the weakest of its kind.

'Yeah, there's no way the examiners would dare throw something more powerful, like an evolved beast, at a bunch of rookie cadets'. He thought.

As he steeled himself for the fight ahead, Nathan's hands instinctively went to the sides of his nano-tech suit.

The hidden compartments sprang open, revealing the pair of high-tech daggers he'd stashed there.

He drew them out, feeling the familiar weight and balance of the slender blades in his hands.

The rapier-like handles fit neatly in his palms, and the micro-scale enhancements that ran along the blades seemed to hum with a quiet power.

Nathan's grip on the daggers tightened as he settled into a fighting stance, his eyes locked on the mutated beast. He was ready for this. At least he hopes he is.

The beast let out a roar that shook Nathan but he was mentally stable still.

The trees seemed to close in around them, casting deep shadows that made it difficult for Nathan to see.

But he didn't need to see clearly to know that the beast was enormous - and fast.

The creature charged, its thunderous roar echoing through the forest.

Nathan dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the beast's snapping jaws.

The creature's teeth clashed shut mere inches from Nathan's face, the sound sending a shiver down his spine.

Nathan countered with a swift slash of his dagger, aiming for the beast's exposed flank.

But the creature was too fast, and it twisted away from the attack with ease.

Nathan's blade bit into the air, mere millimeters from the beast's scaly hide.

The creature retaliated with a swipe of its massive paw, forcing Nathan to leap backward.

He landed hard on the forest floor, his daggers scrambling for traction on the damp earth.

The beast took advantage of Nathan's momentary stumble, pinning him beneath its crushing weight.

Nathan's vision began to blur as the beast's hot breath washed over him.

He struggled to free himself, but the creature's grip was unyielding.

Just as all hope seemed lost, Nathan managed to wriggle free, narrowly avoiding the beast's snapping jaws.

He scrambled to his feet, his daggers at the ready.

The beast charged again, its massive body barreling toward Nathan like a freight train.

This time, Nathan was prepared. With a swift flick of his wrist, he activated the daggers' built-in grappling hooks.

The hooks shot out, snagging onto the beast's scaly hide.

Nathan held tight, using the hooks as leverage to swing himself around the creature's flank.

The beast thrashed about, trying to dislodge Nathan, but he held firm.

Seizing the opportunity, Nathan plunged one of his daggers deep into the beast's side.

The creature let out a deafening roar as Nathan twisted the blade, searching for a vital organ.

But the beast's hide was thicker than he'd anticipated, and the dagger barely penetrated.

The beast retaliated with a vicious swipe of its paw, sending Nathan flying across the clearing.

He crashed into the trunk of a nearby tree, his daggers slipping from his grasp. The beast charged toward him, its jaws wide open.

Nathan scrambled to his feet, desperately searching for a way to defend himself. His eyes landed on a nearby thicket, its branches tangled and thick.

With a burst of adrenaline, Nathan sprinted toward the thicket, the beast mere steps behind.

He dove into the thicket, the beast's snapping jaws closing mere inches from his heels.

Nathan crawled through the narrow opening, his heart racing with fear.

The beast's enraged roars echoed through the thicket, making it seem as though the creature was right behind him.

Finally, Nathan saw a glimmer of light ahead. He burst out of the thicket, gasping for air.

The beast was nowhere to be seen, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the creature found him again.

He took advantage of the brief reprieve to catch his breath and reassess the situation.

The beast was bigger and faster than he'd anticipated, and his daggers seemed woefully inadequate against its thick hide.

But Nathan refused to give up. He steeled himself for the next confrontation, his mind racing with strategies and tactics.

The beast might be powerful, but Nathan was determined to outsmart it.

As he waited, his senses on high alert, Nathan heard the sound of crashing underbrush echoing through the forest.

The beast was coming for him, and this time, Nathan was ready.

With a deep breath, Nathan steeled himself for the final confrontation.

The beast burst into the clearing, its jaws wide open.

Nathan dodged to the side, avoiding the creature's deadly bite by mere millimeters.

He countered with a swift slash of his dagger, aiming for the beast's exposed flank.

This time, the blade bit deep, finding its mark in the creature's vulnerable flesh.

The beast let out a deafening roar as Nathan twisted the blade, searching for a vital organ.

The creature thrashed about, trying to dislodge him, but he held firm.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the beast's struggles began to weaken.

Nathan twisted the blade one final time, and the creature's body went limp.

As the beast collapsed to the forest floor, Nathan stumbled backward, his chest heaving with exhaustion. He'd done it. He'd survived his first fight.

But as he looked down at the beast's lifeless body, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

He had struggled with the lowest rank beast and he couldn't help but wonder if he was truly prepared for what lay ahead.