In a remote place, lost in the middle of nowhere, covered in snow and barely lit by the light of the moon, only two figures could be seen.
One of them was a tall, well-built young man who didn't look older than twenty-five. His hair, black as coal, contrasted perfectly with the white snow falling around him. His eyes, golden like pure gold, were filled with emotion, and a certain arrogance gleamed in them, intensified by the smile drawn across his face.
"It looks like tonight is going to be fun," he said, his grin widening as he stared straight ahead.
Just a few meters away stood a non-human figure, more than eleven meters tall. It was a bird-like creature covered in a blindingly white fur which, if not for its size, would have blended perfectly with the snowy surroundings.
Its massive wings and sharp beak were enough to intimidate even the bravest of men.
However…
The young man, only meters away from the beast, simply smiled and looked at it with a challenging gaze.
This angered the flying creature.
It began to screech… The sound was so loud it could burst the eardrums of anyone standing within several meters. Even other beasts would have run away in terror.
But… against all expectations, the man didn't flinch. He didn't move an inch from where he stood.
"Hahaha, easy there, little bird. It's not time to cry just yet. Just a few more minutes," he said.
"You know, when I arrived in this country, I'd heard stories about the famous Drakarys of the snowy northern mountains. They said its appearance resembled a giant eagle covered in snow-white fur."
"But you know… to me, you look more like an ugly giant chicken. I was already a bit disappointed when I first saw you. And now, hearing you scream like a brothel whore… well, you can imagine how I feel."
Even though the Drakarys didn't understand his words, it could feel the man's arrogance and contempt.
In that instant, it stopped screeching and, without warning, soared into the sky at incredible speed, quickly reaching a height of over fifteen meters.
Then it hurled itself toward the young man with such speed that the wind it generated blew the snow away in all directions.
As it approached, it extended its enormous three-toed claws, sharper and larger than any knife, to strike.
In less than five seconds, the giant bird had crossed the distance between them and slammed its claws into the snow, right where the young man had been standing.
The impact, due to the Drakarys's weight and speed, created a massive crater in the snow.
Convinced of its victory, the beast rose again, eager to see what was left of the foolish human who had dared challenge it.
However, where it expected to see a crushed corpse, there was nothing.
This confused the bird. But before it could react, a voice rang out.
"Haha, I'm right here, stupid chicken."
"You moved so slowly you almost made me yawn."
The young man stood just a few meters behind the crater, covering his mouth with one hand as if yawning.
This infuriated the Drakarys even more, and it prepared to strike again. However, the young man bent his knees and, before the bird could register what was happening, he appeared right in front of it even though it was still hovering several meters above the ground.
In a flash, the man landed a punch directly to the Drakarys's head.
A human fist shouldn't have any effect on such a massive creature. Yet the moment the punch connected, the great bird was sent crashing straight to the ground.
Seconds later, it managed to stand up again, though still clearly dazed. It shook its head from side to side. The white feathers covering its head were now stained with bright blue blood.
At the same time, the young man descended toward the ground with a smile. From his belt, he drew what appeared to be a dagger with a black hilt and a red blade adorned with intricate golden patterns.
"Looks like it's time to end this," he said.
Just moments after landing effortlessly, he moved at a speed impossible for the still dizzy Drakarys to follow. By the time it realized what was happening, its left wing had already been severed.
"KIIII!" the bird shrieked in pain, blood gushing from the place where its wing had been.
Desperate, the massive beast began thrashing from side to side, trying to strike the small human who kept moving around it.
But it simply couldn't…
"Crazy chicken, who exactly are you trying to hit?"
Upon hearing his voice, the Drakarys finally managed to guess where its enemy was.
But when it tried to turn its head to attack with its sharp beak, its vision went dark.
The man had thrown his dagger directly into its right eye.
"KIIII! KIIII!" it screamed again, this time even louder than before. Its agony was palpable.
The man stood on the creature's head, which twisted and turned violently from the pain. He grabbed the dagger still lodged in its retina over a meter and a half wide and yanked it out mercilessly.
Streams of blue blood gushed uncontrollably. The bird howled in agony.
With one final effort, it rose into the air, only to dive headfirst toward the ground, trying to crush the human on its head.
But it was useless. The man had already leapt to its back.
The sound of the Drakarys slamming its own skull into the snow covered ground echoed across the land.
The creature now lay barely conscious on the ground.
The young man seized the moment and cut off its remaining wing, ensuring it would never fly again.
The beast tried to rise again, but before it could do anything, the man stood once more on its head and drove his dagger into its skull right where it had cracked from the earlier blow.
Just a few seconds later, the Drakarys fell lifeless into the cold snow.
The man stood for a moment, gazing at the dead creature's body, as if admiring his work.
"Well… that was easy."
He then pulled out what looked like some kind of badge from his pocket and placed it on the Drakarys's corpse.
A light emerged from the badge for a few seconds, followed by a mechanical voice
"Certified prey: Rank B beast Northern Drakarys."
"Points obtained: 9,000."
"Hunter: Kael (The Predator)."
"Total points: 450,000."
"Global ranking: Number 83."