The air in the woods was thick with the scent of iron and damp earth. The towering trees, their bark stained a deep red from centuries of battle and bloodshed, loomed like ancient sentinels. Jayden stood in a small clearing, his breath steady, his body humming with power. The corpses of four E-Rank Howlers lay scattered around him, their beast crystals already harvested.
But the real fight was just beginning.
The Howler Alpha stood opposite Jayden, burning with fury and determination to rip him apart. And without warning, it moved.
It's first attack came not with a howl, but with brute physical force - a sudden barrage of momentum. Jayden barely managed to evade in time as 400 pounds of muscle and fury slammed into him.
