Emerald green exoskeleton, long pitch-black legs, and sharp teeth, the tiger beetle looked menacing to the extreme.

Martin carefully looked at the surroundings and noticed signs of activity that could indicate frequent movement around the tree.

"so the tree already had an owner?" he rhetorically asked with a pulsing headache.

"Hmph! so what if it is your tree? A mere early first order monster beast? Today I will take both this tree and your core." he arrogantly proclaimed, waving his sleeve as he pounced towards the enemy.

When the beetle first saw the intruder in its territory, it was very displeased and went to chase him away. But seeing Martin not running away after noticing it and even heading towards it with what was probably nefarious intent, it instantly became furious. It sped up, the shattering sounds coming from its mouthpiece also increased.

As the distance between the two decreased, they prepared to attack.

The tiger beetle stretched its head back. Seeing its intent to headbutt, Martin pulled back his right hand, readying a punch.

When the fist met the head, there was no spectacular explosion and no suspense. The impact sent Martin flying. He uprooted a tree on his flight path before being stopped by another.

Feeling the numbing pain in his hand, he could help but look up at the tiger beetle with a hint of fear and say,

"What a tough external skeleton! How is this an early first order beast? It is obviously an iron fortress masquerading as an insect!"

Looking at the pupilless pitch black eyes of beetle, he could have sworn that it was mocking him. He didn't have the time to complain as he saw his foe upon him. Gritting his teeth, he took out the knife which hung on his waist.

"If I can't smash it, I'll just dismember it a joint at a time!"

He raised his half-meter long knife with his right hand, supporting it with his left, in anticipation for the forelimb swinging his way. Then the sound of metal meeting metal rang.

Ting!

Looking at the metre long trail left on the ground after being pushed back, he couldn't help but gulp even though he had prepared himself for it. He then proceeded to clash with it aiming, aiming to attack its joints.

...

A dozen minutes later.

"Smart! Too smart! How is this an insect? It is clearly an old fox! Not only is it skilfully avoiding my joint cutting, but it is even throwing random head buts in the mix! I already have two broken ribs, and my arm is also slightly fractured!"

"Run! I need to run!"

In this moment of distraction, the tiger beetle had gotten too close for comfort and almost lopped his head off. He instinctively ducked down, and that was how his silky black hair turned short.

Grieving internally, he started sprinting. Making sure to get the sack with one fruit, he ran as fast as his legs could take him.

After running for a few dozen hundred metres, when he couldn't keep going at full speed anymore, he noticed that oddly enough, that the buzzing sound never left him.

Stiffly turning his head to look back, he saw the tiger beetle waving a forelimb as if to say,

'Human, do you think this is your house where you can come and go as you please?'

He couldn't help but shamelessly yell,

"I only wanted to rob and kill you. Why do you have to take it so far? Do you think you can bully me just because I'm weak?"

It seemed intelligent as immediately it launched itself off of all its limbs but one, which the beetle used to cut at Martin. Barely avoiding a fatal wound, he was left with a half centimetre deep cut along his diaphragm.

No longer in the mood to talk nonsense, he continued fleeing. He kept changing direction until he was lost, yet he couldn't lose his pursuer.

He tried running into another creature's territory to get the two to fight each other so he could flee. In the end, he got chased by both of them. Although the additional tail fell off soon after, he was under tremendous pressure in that short period, and if not for his natural gift in art fleeing, he would have died time and time again.

The chase lasted for half a day, whereby he was at the end of the rope he spotted a wide river looking to be a hundred metres wide. Crossing his fingers, hoping beetles don't know how to swim, he jumped in and swam to the other shore as quick as he could.

Although he was wrong and the battle didn't fear water, it didn't swim across. It seemed to be out of fear of something on the other side of the river. Martin couldn't see the complicated emotions on its face as it roared at him before turning around and walking back to its nest.

He did, however, notice that there was no extra splashing or buzzing behind him. The fact gave him much needed relief. As relief washed over him, he passed out while in the river. He tried to fight it but, it was all for nought.

The moment he passed out, a fishing hook appeared out of nowhere and swiftly hooked his clothes by the scruff and pulled him towards the other side of the river.

...