The Sigbin was a blur of matted black fur and elongated limbs. It didn't jump like a dog; it coiled and snapped forward like a spring-loaded trap. As it arched through the air, Leon saw its ribcage—ribs that protruded through the skin like pale, sharpened fingers.
Time didn't slow down, but Leon's perception sharpened. It was the "responder's high"—that strange, icy clarity that happens when the adrenaline hits the prefrontal cortex.
"Too high," Leon noted. The beast was aiming for his throat.
He didn't swing the heavy Kamagong branch like a baseball bat. He knew he wasn't strong enough yet to overpower a supernatural predator with raw force. Instead, he dropped his center of gravity, planting his lead foot deep into the soft earth of the Cogon field, and shoved the blunt end of the branch upward, aiming for the creature's open maw.
The impact was sickening. The wood crunched against the Sigbin's snout, diverting its trajectory. The beast's weight slammed into Leon's shoulder, knocking him backward into the razor-sharp grass.
[ HP: 38 / 100 ][ STAMINA: 30 / 50 ]
Leon rolled, ignoring the stinging cuts on his arms from the grass. He scrambled to his feet just as the Sigbin landed, skidding in the dirt. The creature shook its head, black ichor dripping from its splintered gums. It let out a low, vibrating growl that vibrated in Leon's very teeth.
[ SYSTEM NOTE: ENEMY STUNNED. ][ OPPORTUNITY DETECTED: ANITO SIGHT ACTIVE. ]
Suddenly, a glowing red dot appeared on the Sigbin's chest, right between its backward-facing forelegs. It pulsed like a second heart.
The vitals, Leon realized. Everything has a weak point.
But the Sigbin was recovering fast. It hissed, its hind legs tensing for a side-swipe. Leon gripped the Kamagong branch, his knuckles white. He was breathing hard, the humid air thick in his throat. He needed more than a piece of wood. He needed the power Bathala had promised.
"You want a piece of me?" Leon spat, a grim smile touching his lips. "I've survived a typhoon that leveled cities. You're just a stray dog with a bad haircut."
As if responding to his defiance, the wooden pendant around his neck flared with a blinding amber light.
[ CONDITION MET: WILL TO PROTECT. ][ ACTIVATING SKILL: PROTOTYPE BOLO (TEMPORARY). ]
The branch in Leon's hands began to vibrate. The dark Kamagong wood didn't change shape, but a ghostly, translucent blade of blue energy erupted from the tip—a jagged, ethereal Sundang blade that hummed with the sound of a thousand cicadas.
The Sigbin sensed the shift in power. Its amber eyes widened, and for the first time, it hesitated. It tried to back away, its claws digging into the soil, but Leon didn't give it the chance.
He lunged.
He didn't swing wildly. He used a short, piston-like thrust, putting the full weight of his body behind the spectral blade. The blue energy cut through the Sigbin's hide like it was parchment. The blade sank deep into the pulsing red dot on the creature's chest.
A high-pitched shriek tore through the silence of the Cogon field—a sound so piercing it felt like a needle being driven into Leon's ears. The Sigbin thrashed, its limbs flailing, before its body began to dissolve into wisps of black smoke.
Leon held the position until the weight of the creature vanished entirely. He stood alone in the grass, his chest heaving, the spectral blade flickering before it died out, leaving him with nothing but a charred piece of wood.
[ TARGET NEUTRALIZED. ][ EXP GAINED: 50 ][ LEVEL UP! LEVEL 2 REACHED. ][ REWARD UNLOCKED: ANCESTRAL BOLO (FRAGMENTED) - PERMANENT. ]
A heavy weight suddenly materialized in Leon's right hand. It wasn't a branch anymore. It was a real weapon—a short, curved blade with a hilt carved in the likeness of a snarling Bakunawa. It was rusted and chipped, but it felt solid. It felt like a part of him.
Leon looked at the blade, then at his trembling hands. He had killed something. Something that wasn't human, but something that was very much alive.
"One down," he whispered, wiping a smear of black ichor from his cheek. "How many more, Bathala?"
The wind picked up again, and the whispering of the Cogon grass returned, but this time, it sounded different. It didn't sound like gossip. It sounded like a warning.