Kaden’s body screamed at him to run. To escape. His legs wouldn’t move no matter how much he wanted to.

The only reason Kaden wasn’t dead yet was because the enormous boar was determining the situation. A human child this near its domain making terribly annoying sound. To it, such thing was odd.

This gave Kaden a moment to gather himself. Wasn’t he already going to die anyway so why be scared? Wasn’t he planning on exploding himself? So what, if he died?

The beast he was facing was no dire beast. It had to be a high beast!

Kaden had cursed the gods. Cursed everyone who had wronged him. Beasts had not yet particularly offended him yet. So what of the little trouble they had given him along the way. He could pass that for the time being. Beasts and humans hunted each other to live anyway. It was normal.

Kaden’s face calmed down and twisted into a smile that wasn’t a smile.

“Great beast, I see no point running, my fate is for you to choose”, Kaden said as he kneeled down in front of the monstrous boar that looked at him curiously. High beasts were intelligent. “You might choose to pick me as a quick snack, but what am I worth to you. My weak body will not give you barely any nourishment... but perhaps I can direct you to a better meal.”

The boar took steps closer to Kaden. He could feel its breath. He wasn’t dead yet. The beast could understand him!

Kaden raised his head and looked directly at the boar with that smile. “I’m being used as a bait by my enemies. They want to kill you and other beasts in your domain to collect your cores for some purpose. There is a small team of hunters nearby and other baits. They have formations and traps. They are too strong force for you to beat alone, I believe, but perhaps you are able to call allies. They should be far greater meal than me.”

The boar seemed to consider Kaden’s words.

“Hehe, this is also only a small part of them. I cannot say how much stronger rest of their forces a bit further are, but I estimate about a hundred of them. I hope this information pleases you enough, great beast, that you will spare my life.” Kaden gave the boar all the information he could.

*Gron*Gronhoh*Gron*

Was the boar laughing? It sounded like that to Kaden.

*GROOOOOOONKKKKHH*

Suddenly the boar let out a sound that almost deafened Kaden. Soon after he began hearing howls and roars from deeper forest.

“Ha.. hahah … hahahaahaha.” Kaden began laughing. Did he just cause a beast swarm. He would die along the way almost certainly, but the beasts would tear apart and feast on the saints. Perhaps even their important project would be destroyed along with them. “AHAHAAHAAHAHAHAHA.”

The boar ignored Kaden and his almost deranged laughter and left.

The saints. They never expected a little slave they sent to die would kneel before a beast and divulge it all the information it needed lay waste to the entire area. While Kaden surely had no loyalty to saints, it was still a case of human working with beasts against other humans. It was rare occurrence. Kaden didn’t care. He only rejoiced that he had found a chance to cause huge damage in exchange for his life.

Vengeance. Kaden liked its taste. He wanted to taste it properly, if he could. He stood up and left.

--- The main camp near the formation.

“Finally! These cores are enough to activate the Greater Binding Formation just in time”, Angis said as he inspected the just arrived beast cores. “This will be enough to keep it running for a while, but we need more to keep it at full force longer. Send me more once you have them.”

He picked up the boxes and moved along the ground at extemely high speed. Eyes could barely see him leave.

“That prick”, cursed the captain. “Sure he is a formation master and at Condensation stage, but I’ll be happy to see this task finished and him gone.”

He had a headache. A really bad headache.

“Captain!” Someone suddenly rushed to him. “The forest! Something is happening. Beasts have become agitated!”

The captain frowned. “Could it be… the big target is close. It and the lords pursuing it were detected by long range sensors just a while ago. Its presence must be driving them in frenzy. Prepare defenses!”

----

Kaden was lucky. Due to timing, his involvement was not going to be suspected.

At this time the hunter camp was already being overwhelmed. Kaden had made his way back. He wanted to watch everyone die. Some smaller beasts had noticed him along the way, but luckily they were weak and he could ignore them. The high beast boar’s call had really dragged out every beast. It was much like on the road just after Dashire. The current forest was much more dangerous and held more beasts than the previous one. The swarm was far more dangerous.

Kaden managed to see the boar battle against the hunter leader, Vidi. He felt such glee at the moment he saw his defenses shatter under the boars attack. With the loss of their leader, the camp was overwhelmed in moments.

“HAHA! DIE!” Kaden laughed.

This was not the only thing he rejoiced about, it seemed the high beasts command was stronger than whatever annoying sounds the collar made. Only the weaker beasts seemed to care about Kaden when they had commands to obey and greater prey right in front of them.

Kaden had to defeat only a few very weak beasts as he waited the beast swarm pass. There was something at the camp remains. He hoped that the high beast didn’t accidentally eat it. The key. The damn collar was a problem. He had expected to die due to it by now. Yet, since he was being mostly ignored, he might as well take the chance to drastically increase his survival chance.

He searched the camp site around where Vidi died. There was nothing but blood, the boar had eaten the man. Yet, lots of shredded pieces of clothing was strewn around. Then he spotted it! A small bag that had been on Vidi’s belt. Kaden leaped at it and quickly opened it.

In the bag he found several random trinkets. He didn’t know their purpose, nor did he care. What he did care about was the key that was indeed there.

“Haha”, Kaden laughed. “Fools.”

In truth, Kaden rejoiced too early. No matter what he did, he could not figure out how to use the key. Was it a magic tool? No way he could use a magic tool. He would have to be at Channel Opening before he could do such a thing. He cursed for a moment and then suddenly stood up. He heard noise behind him.

A wolf. Kaden didn’t like wolves. Why did it have to be a wolf!

“Fuck off, mutt!” Kaden shouted at it. It was quite pointless. The wolf was obviously not strong enough yet to understand speech. This didn’t matter to Kaden. “See these boots. They are made from wolf fur! You will become boots too!”

Or perhaps the wolf understood the general idea. Perhaps there was enough scent left that the boots used to be wolf sometime in the past. It started growling.

Kaden looked around. Wolves usually moved in packs, but he didn’t see any more of them. Was this one a straggler?

While Kaden was pondering on potential dangers, the wolf leaped at him. This time Kaden was not an idiot amateur like the last time. He knew of mana control. He had survived everything so far. There was no way Kaden would allow himself to become easy target to the hungry canine.

From its speed Kaden determined the wolf was slightly stronger than him, but not much. Still, unlike wolves, humans did not have that good natural weapons. Kaden dodged and tried to counter attack, but failed. The wolf turned around and continued its attacks.

“I need a weapon”, Kaden thought. He looked around. The place had been a hunter camp, but all the traps and formations had broken already. Blood and pieces of flesh were scattered around. Some armor. Then he eventually noticed one weapon, a sword somewhat far away on the ground.

The wolf charged at Kaden. In an attempt to dodge Kaden tried to make quick turn, but the chaotic mana acted up and he failed. The wolf crashed right on him and bit onto his side.

Kaden groaned in pain, but did not scream. He concentrated lot of mana right there to counter the crushing force of the wolf jaws. If chaotic mana was good for anything, then body strengthening was it. While it was a significant injury and he was bleeding, he didn’t suffer any damage that would debilitate him completely. Unfortunately the wolf decided to toss him once it realized its target was tougher than it expected. This act tore the wound open much more.

Kaden was bleeding hard. He gritted his teeth and noticed he had been thrown closer to the sword. He mustered his strength and picked up the sword. At least he tried. How was the sword so heavy? It must have belonged to someone at least of Channel Opening stage. It weighed too much! With Kaden’s strength he could only lift it up to block the wolf that had rushed at him again.

The sword was useless.

The wolf was enraged. After it had slammed against the sword that Kaden had barely managed to lift up, it simply circled around and charged again. This time it managed to catch Kaden by his leg.

Kaden couldn’t stop his scream this time. As the wolf bit down, bone in his leg fractured.

The wolf kept at it hoping to finally kill its prey. Then suddenly it felt pain at its neck.

Kaden cursed that he had to do this again. He would only get a real attack on yet another wolf by the time it was already chewing on him. He wasn’t some chewtoy for the mutt! At least this time he didn’t need to pass out.

The wolf let go of Kaden just for a moment and this gave him long enough to struggle back up despite his leg injury. He was not moving fast, but he still took steps away from the wolf.

“Hehe, I can at least see that I have grown in strength”, Kaden thought to himself. He wasn’t sure why he was thinking of such matters as he was seriously wounded and in danger.

The wolf growled and slowly walked towards Kaden. Then yet another charge! This time it would kill the obstinate prey that wouldn’t just die. Then it tripped.

Kaden grinned. The blood bunny teeth still worked. The wolf wasn’t all that high level, technically a weakling just like himself. Whether the poison had lost any of its power was not noticeable.

Since no other weapons were available, he picked up a piece of firewood that had been prepared in the camp. Then he limped towards the struggling wolf with the weapon in his hand.

The wolf eventually got up with shaking feet. It whined as it didn’t understand why it felt so weak.

*Whack*

Blood spewed out of the wolf’s mouth.

*Whack*

More blood and some shattered teeth flew out this time.

*Whack*Whack*Whack*

Kaden brutally beat the mutt to death with the firewood piece. Its skull and its insides were leaking on the ground.

Once he was done he fell to his knees. All the adrenaline and mana that he had used to support him was leaving. Sudden waves of weakness washed over him. Pain. Dizzy. Pain. He was bleeding. Stop the bleeding. Pain. Ignore pain. Get to safety.

His leg was broken and his side was bleeding profusely. He managed to make a hasty binding for his side. It was still bleeding, but at much lower rate. There was very little he could do for the leg. He remembered his training from Dashire and tied a piece of wood around his leg.

Kaden wasn’t in a good shape, but he was not able to do much more than that. He could hear screams, roars and explosions from distance. He started moving out. What direction? Anywhere but the sounds.