The 'beast' was a green bear-looking creature that seemed to be weighing about 500 kg from its massive size. Various sparks of lightning flashed along with its hide as it was preparing to rest. To rest inside this forest must mean that it’s far stronger than anything that would harm a normal creature. It was laying down in the clearing, slowly closing its eyes.

Waiting until the eyes were fully closed, Tremis made a jumping position on the branch and transferred all of his strength and agility in his legs. With a grunt, he leaped off the branch making the branch that was underneath him break making a snapping sound.

With only a jump, Tremis was above the trees but only trees were what he could see as he looked around in the sky except the clearing that was quite literally beneath him. He aimed his head down with his Falx aiming downwards as well.

Wind Resistance really is a bitch.

As he was heading down his face contorted from the winds resistance against his actions.

When the branch broke the green monster immediately opened its eyes and looked around ready to fight but as it looked towards the left for the third time it could sense something.

By the time it looked up Tremis had already made his way down. Tremis put his Falx behind his back with both of his arms and swung down as he landed on the creature.

"Tingg" was heard as the Falx hit the creatures hide and bounced off. Tremis could almost hear the disdain in the monsters grunt as it raised its paw making a quick turn and swung it straight towards Tremis' chest and connect it did.

He was sent flying toward some trees and went through about 4 trees making his back bruised and all the air in his lungs escape. Even his body felt a little numb. All he could feel when the paw had hit him in the chest was as if Truck-kun was making his daily rounds reincarnating people.

Instead of yelling out profanity as he would do normally he breathed in deeply and gripped his Falx even tighter. He got up and started charging towards the bear again with the Falx dragging behind him as a swordsman would do.

When he reached the monster it swung at him again with its iron-like paw making Tremis swing his Falx towards the incoming attack sliding off it but decreasing the force but not stopping the attack. With a quick step back he escaped what was left with the attack.

The bear's paw was still in motion so Tremis saw this as a chance so he jumped on the still in motion arm of the bear and put his Falx to the side of his chest and swang.

With a gruesome sound, he successfully stabbed into the bear's right eye with the second blade on the scythe.

"RRRRAHHHHHH!!", a powerful roar from the bear was heard as its head tilted towards the sky before its gaze fell upon Tremis. It breathed in and out continuously before it swung both of its paws toward Tremis at the same time.

"Stubborn!" was all that left Tremis' mouth when the paws were making their way towards him. With a sudden thought of inspiration an idea to counteract the obviously very lethal attack appeared. He breathed in quickly and swang his Falx towards the paw on his left with all his strength negating the attack almost fully.

Good.. the first step is complete..now let’s see if this works!

Using the same momentum he used the handle of the Falx to back it into the paw on his right. The right paw started going back as the beast had not expected this kind of counter but the left paw kept advancing. Tremis ducked under it and got ready to swing towards the beasts other eye.

[Notification! {Devorare Faegir Three-Bladed Falx Technique} has leveled up to LVL 3!]

What was beyond his expectation was that the electricity that was crackling around the bear to suddenly enter the bear making thunder resound from inside the bear. The bear slowly stood up facing Tremis.

Don't tell me...

The bear opened its mouth allowing Tremis to see the lightning bolt that was currently forming and before Tremis could do anything it immediately grabbed him with both of its paws, lifting him upright in front of its mouth as he struggled. Tremis felt as if his body was slowly being crushed as the lightning bolt was finally ready and shot out towards his head.

Not good!

He struggled even more, slowly getting out of the bear's grip until it clenched his body even tighter lifting him up a little. The lightning bolt instead hit between his collar and pec, completely going through his bone and muscle. He shrieked loudly until his body went limp and stopped moving inside the monster’s grip as the Falx dropped on the floor.

The bear started panting and its mind was hazy so it immediately believed Tremis to be dead, dropping him on the floor with a great 'THUMP'. It tried to go back to resting so it could be at peak condition with its head facing Tremis with a massive hole on his body.

As it was still slightly suspicious that he was alive it kept its eyes on him before they suddenly closed, seeming that it passed out.

Tremis immediately opened his eyes a few minutes after the bear had gone to sleep.

Its time for those years of playing that game to come to use..

Like a panther, he got on all fours and pounced towards the head of the bear. As he was basically flying towards the bear, he stuck his hand halfway out and bent his hand making his wrist face outward as a horn started to grow from it.

When he was right in front of the bear's face he shouted at the top of his lungs completely giving up his 'Master of The Sword' personality facade.

"HIDDEN BLADE!"

The horn then stabbed right into the bear's left eyelid going through its eyes immediately waking it up but not fast enough. Tremis kept repeatedly shoving the horn in its eye sockets causing major damage making the bear roar out in pain.

"Bye-bye.."

Tremis put his head next to the bear's ear whispering as he put his other hand against the other damaged eye of the bear. Slowly, a fireball started forming containing 129 points of Mana slowly burning through the bear's eye and making its way inside its skull, slowly burning away its brain.

Agonizing screams of pain could be heard as the bear's body slowly went limp and crashed on the ground.

As it fell, Tremis deactivated {Ram} and fell on his back panting heavily.

"Ahh… I think..129..points was a little overkill.."

He closed his eyes resting for a few minutes before opening them again. "It's almost night... let’s devour this powerful bastard.."

Tremis slowly got up but first went towards his Falx absorbing it into his body again before heading to the corpse of the bear. Gently laying his hand on top of its body, his body turned black and the bear's slowly followed although not as fast as usual. This time, the notification of [Devouring corpse..] did not appear at this time because he didn't need the system's assistance to devour.

After a few seconds, the bear had finally been absorbed into his body.

[Host has killed 'Viridi Lightning Bear']

[+89 Strength +61 Agility +97 Defense +34 Intelligence]

[Skills Gained! {Lightning Bolt} {Lightning Body Enhancement}]

[Host has been healed!]

[{Devourer of Corpses} has leveled up to LVL 8!]

This guy had a lot of stats.

The only way to kill him would be to attack his soft spots like his eyes but if I didn’t I would be dead.

If he took me seriously at first I would be dead.

If he wasn't too tired to find out if I was actually deceased I would be dead.

If he just attacked me while I was stabbing his eye with {Ram} I would've been dead..

"But inevitably I came out on top so who cares if his stats are higher!"

"What if! Ifs don't exist if they haven't happened then. I was better so it died, simple as that!"

"Only the strongest will survive but stats don't decide that! They merely help, its strategies that decide the ending of the battle. Only against ants would stats decide the ending of a battle!"

Tremis started shouting to encourage himself so he doesn't suddenly have a breakdown over how close he is to death every single day. He still suffers fear yet he never shows it, he still suffers from pain but he grits his teeth, he always suffered from loneliness yet now he is immune to it.

His father, when Tremis was 8 years old told him "Don't show you are afraid or that you are in pain either emotionally or physically..if you show your emotions then you're weak and I know you're not weak. You are strong just like your dad!"

His dad was the only person he cared about, the only person he wanted to impress, the only person who gave him actual feelings. Just a few days after his dad gave him that speech, he was killed in a drive-by from some gangsters who didn't like him since he was gang-banging back in the day. In his will, his dad gave him everything that he needed to survive hoping that his son would be able to live a happy life, something he was never able to have when he was growing up.

His father always told him, "Love was never in my life before I met you..im so glad I had you..if I die someday, just know I will never leave you..I’ll keep following you and hoping the best for you no matter what you do..just please don't cry at my funeral, that will let me know I did good raising you!"

He could see the tears welling up in his father's eyes as he said that, he knew his father was on the brink of crying knowing that someday he will die and never be able to see his son again. Although all that, his father smiled and patted his head.

To make his father proud for the last time, Tremis didn't cry at his funeral but almost did telling himself that "You promised him!"

That was the last time Tremis ever truly felt deep emotion when he was alive on Earth. After his father's funeral, he was a husk of his former self. Happiness was unattainable now. All he felt was hatred for the people who killed his dad and that's all he had while he was alive. This anger made him hate everybody and everything, cursing even God himself for taking away his father.

Back to the present though, Tremis continued hopping tree to tree in the jungle occasionally jumping high above all the leaves to see if he was at least close to a road.