As he leaned his back against the sturdy wood of his home, he slowly exhaled, feeling the warmth of the calm campfire against his skin. The comforting fire, joined by the chirps of the nightly critters coaxed him to sleep, unintentionally, as his eyes closed–
"Haaaeeeeeeh–!"
–A scream echoed through the valley, loud and desperate enough to wake him from his comforting nap as he jumped to his feet. He grabbed the axe that sat by the wooden chair, looking side-to-side.
To his right was the lake, and on his left the forest–there was no doubt in his mind that the cry came buried in the woods. He sprinted into the dark, carrying the axe as he moved with the wind at his back.
[Agility Burst+] [C+ Ranked Skill]
With a heightened pace, he covered dozens of meters within mere breaths, delving into the labyrinth of trees. He hopped over a fallen log with ease, passing through the dense foliage, forcing foxes to scatter as he quickly came through.
"Aaaaaah–!"
Another scream echoed through the woods, only reeling him in towards the direction he was already heading. He reached a slope, sliding down as his boots glided over the bumpy soil before hopping down into the clearing.
There, he found it; the source of the desperate cries–
There were two figures on the eastern side of the clearing, huddled by mossy boulders: a young man with messy, golden hair dressed in dark-brown, leather armor, bearing wounds on his body, desperately gasping as he launched a stray arrow from his bow. Behind him was a girl of the same complexion and hair, sharing the same long, pointy ears, though she looked in worse shape than the boy.
The arrow launched by the archer was shot towards a rather unsavory creature; it resembled a bear of deep-blue fur, prickly like a porcupine with claws like daggers. All the desperate projectile amounted to was getting itself stuck in the bristly fur of the monstrous bear as it roared, salivating on the grass in its approach.
"Stay back…!" The young man cried out, reaching in his quiver for another arrow, only there was nothing there.
Noah surveyed the situation, squeezing his fingers around the handle of the axe before rushing in without any secondary plan. He was a stranger to combat, at least when it came to fighting monsters of fantastical origin–though he set that doubt to the back of his mind.
With his heart thumping in his chest, he placed himself between the two, wounded travelers and the mystical bear, holding his woodcutting axe in front of his body.
From behind, the youthful archer called out in utter confusion at his arrival, "...Hey! Get outta here–you'll die…! What're you gonna do with just an axe–you listening to me?!"
"Shaddup, wouldja?!" Noah responded, keeping his eyes on the roaring predator just ahead. "I'm the sort of guy that can't just watch a couple of kids die, so deal with it!"
"Kids?! Hey–we're registered adventurers, Golem ranked!" The archer responded.
Leaning against the tree, the wand-wielding girl sat, caressing her bleeding arm quietly, only observing the man that had come to their rescue.
"I don't care if you're Golem, or whatever–you're getting your ass kicked by this thing, so shut up and stand back!" Noah commanded.
'I haven't gained any combat skills…All I've done is housework and labor! But, well, when the chance presents itself–gotta go for it,' he resolved.
It was time to put his money where his mouth was as the apex predator sprinted towards him with its jaws agape, dripping saliva onto the field. The speed it came at him surpassed its large build, coming in like a cheetah before swiping its paws towards his body.
He ducked down, evading those giant claws that attempted to snatch his neck away. Even as he avoided the slash, he could feel the wind pour off the mighty limbs of the creature.
"That bear…It's not normal!" The archer warned.
"Yeah, I can tell–!" Noah responded.
Using the axe in his hands, he retaliated after ducking, swiping it upward to cut across the towering predator's torso. It was a surprise to him as it was to the others; the swipe of his weapon practically split the beast in half from its shoulder, releasing a fountain of purple blood.
"No, you're not hearing me!" The elven adventurer shouted. "--There's a bounty on it–that's Oshal! That thing has already killed a number of adventurers…It's a corrupted wolverine–it's demonically infused!"
A repulsive sight filled his vision amidst the nightfallen forest; the bisected creature's disconnected flesh tethered together like sewn fabric. Squelching filled the clearing as its wound closed, pulling its torso back into place as if mortality was a novel concept to it.
Noah reacted to the words coming from behind, "Alright, I could've done with a warning about that part."
Amidst his audible thoughts, he stayed on the move, ducking past wild swipes that attempted to maim him. It held nothing in its beady, black eyes except violence, salivating like a rabid beast as it pursued him.
'So, it can reform itself–a zombie bear–well, wolverine. Guessing I have to go for the head,' he thought, leaning back as its paw came passing by.
As he flexed his body for another counter, a surge of power flowed through his limbs as if supercharged by internal electricity–
[Strengthen+] [C-Rank Strength Skill]
As he clenched the wooden handle of the axe, it cracked as his muscle swelled momentarily, swinging the weapon right towards the feral wolverine's neck. The motion cut through the air itself, causing it to hiss loudly as the axe was guided through the throat of the beast.
The cut was clean as he felt the grotesque sensation as he separated the beast's head from its body. From the force behind the axe swing, the howling wind rattled the watchful trees, scattering leaves into the air.
[EXP+ 1,000] [1,555/10,500]
["Close-Quarters Combat" Proficiency Up +10] [10/999]
[Skill Acquired: "Soul Rend"]
Deprived of its most vital part, the monstrous wolverine lifelessly collapsed to the grass.
"Phew," Noah exhaled, turning towards the two strangers.
While he didn't expect outright tears of joy, he did at least expect some relief from those he helped.
"Take some breaths. It's alright—" Noah assured.
The archer was still trembling, huffing and wiping sweat from his chin, "Don't let your guard down…!"
At the very moment the pointy-eared adventurer shouted to him, he felt the hairs on his arms stand. He turned around just in time to find the furry presence right behind him, charging jaws first into him.
"—!"
He used his axe to hold its ravenous mouth back, sliding back as it pushed him across the clearing. It felt like a raging bull colliding with him, having to dig his boots into the soil to keep himself from being flung.
'You're kidding, right? Beheading it didn't work? Seriously, what kind of monstrous animal is this thing?!' He questioned.