Wolf eased the branches of a bush with great care, revealing a large green horse making crunching sounds as it ate. Based on its color and the pair of pure-white rhinoceros-like horns, Wolf recognized it as an Emerald Colt.

The Demonic Beast raised its head and craned its neck to face Wolf, tenaciously gnawing on something pitch-black.

Emerald Colt was a docile Sixth Order Monster Beast, known for its beauty and tameness. Manlings considered it an auspicious sign whenever they met this mesmerizing beast in the plains. However, the creature staring at Wolf in this dark forest had bloodshot eyes; it dug at the ground in extreme agitation and there was not an ounce of auspiciousness about it.

A moment later the Demonic Beast charged straight towards Wolf. It lowered its head, its horns like a pair of spears, ready to gore the young man to death.

Faced with this frontal charge, Wolf didn’t move. He waited until the last possible moment, then tumbled to the side as an oversized great-axe materialized in his hands.

He ducked, then swept the axe, its blade splitting the air parallel to the ground. The strike was already so well-practiced it became an instinct, targeting the Demonic Beast’s weakness.

The axe-head screamed as it tore through the air, mowing down bushes and saplings. It slashed just below the colt’s bowed head, before smashing into the creature’s bony shins.

The Emerald Colt’s forelegs snapped with a loud crack.

The Demonic Beast neighed in pain and rage as it toppled and rolled through the bushes. Finally, the horse slammed into a thick tree.

Wolf was about to finish it off, when he realized something was off. The enemy he sensed split into two. One portion was the colt whining and rolling on the ground in madness. The other, Wolf’s original enemy, remained where Wolf initially sensed it. The inborn hatred Wolf felt for it hadn’t changed one bit.

What’s going on? Wolf wondered, then moved to take care of the screeching demonic horse, before its screams drew trouble.

With four brutal hacks, Wolf bludgeoned the auspicious animal to death, before ripping out its horns and Monster Core. Seeing the half-chewed black something in its mouth, Wolf poked at the thing with a stick.

It looks like a fruity texture, but it’s as tough as a rock, Wolf concluded as the stick snapped, while failing to sink into the weird fruit’s flesh. It smells intoxicating.

Wolf shook his head, resisting the strange urge to eat the disgusting black mass, then glanced towards his unknown enemy. It still hasn’t moved.

Wolf then cut off the colt’s tongue and stored it, thinking about treating his big brother the next time they shared a meal. This simple butchery took a minute, and the enemy still failed to move.

Wolf took a deep breath and rubbed his chin before pressing on. He sensed several stationary enemies in the distance, but ignored them. Most of them were Seventh Order Demonic Beasts or higher. As for the trail of hatred he had followed, it grew to the point where Wolf felt as if a Seventh Order Demonic Beast stood right before him. As Wolf advanced, the pressure rose to the Eighth Order, then to what Wolf guessed would be the Ninth.

The closer he drew to the source, the stronger stench of rotting flesh grew. Wolf found broken and torn remains of various Demonic Beasts. He checked several of them, but their Monster Cores were missing.

Having a feeling he should retreat, Wolf reached a clearing. The putrid stench of death nauseated even Wolf, who made out a whiff of the rancid smell of blood among the decaying rot.

In front of Wolf was a large patch of hard-packed, dark-red earth. Dry bones littered the clearing, but there were five recently trampled corpses near Wolf. A large tree stood at the center of the clearing. Its branches spread fifty meters in every direction, looming over the entire glade, smothering any competition with its deep shade.

As soon as Wolf’s eyes landed on the tree, he shuddered from rage. An impulse to charge over and hack the damnable thing to bits assailed his mind. Wolf already took a subconscious step forward, but then regained sanity and calmed down.

Damn, he cursed his momentary lapse. Luckily, the tree didn’t make any moves. Its demonic aura is so strong that it actually shook me when I made eye contact. It’s powerful enough to reduce Mages under Twelfth Order to mindless beasts.

Wolf stood there as seconds trickled by, quietly breathing. Unsurprisingly, the tree didn’t move either. Since nothing happened, and no enemies approached, Wolf summoned a sharp axe into his hands.

Armed like a lumberjack, the young man cautiously stepped onto the clearing. He avoided bones and disgusting patches of goo while steadily advancing.

Suddenly, the leaves above his head rustled as if a gale started billowing. Wolf looked up and saw that the tree was full of black apples. The violent shaking of branches sent the fruit flying, and a thousand black apples fell towards the hard-packed soil.

*Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!*

The series of thuds was unnaturally loud. It sounded like the beating of a drum, or the start of a stampede. Based on the noise, Wolf realized those apples were very heavy. But before he could entertain the thought any further the surrounding forest exploded with madness.

Cacophony of roars, bellows, hisses and all other sorts of crazed animalistic sounds assailed the peaceful glade from all sides.

Wolf blinked, not understanding what was going on. He’d just compared the sound of black apples falling with a stampede in his mind, and then a true stampede formed.

Damn, Wolf cursed after a moment of stupefaction, then turned around to flee.

In theory, the area from which he’d come should be free of Demonic Beasts, but before he covered fifty meters, Wolf already sensed enemies closing in on him from all directions.

While advancing through the Demon Forest these last couple of days, Demonic Beasts attacked Wolf from the front. Wolf rarely allowed one or two to come from behind. But after the apples fell, Wolf felt as if a tidal wave was crashing towards him.

The multitude of signals drowned Wolf’s senses, and he lost track of individuals. The only thing he knew was that enemies of unknown strength surrounded him.

Luckily, they aren’t headed for me. Wolf calmed down after a moment. They are all rushing towards the tree.

Unfortunately for some Demonic Beasts, Wolf was in their way. Following the enemies’ movement, Wolf knew that only a fraction of Demonic Beasts were heading towards him. But even that tiny percent amounted to dozens of mixed signals.

Straight, as fast as I can, as far away from here as I can, Wolf thought. He enhanced his legs with Internal Energy while casting the sole Swiftness he had prepared. He didn’t do it to increase his odds in combat, but to increase his movement speed as much as possible, and avoid as many enemies as possible.

Wolf’s dash was just as frantic as the Demonic Beasts’. It’s just that he rushed in the opposite direction.

In but a few short moments, Wolf located the nearest monster heading his way. He wanted to turn and avoid it, but the Demonic Beast was frighteningly fast, despite being land-bound.

With Swiftness and Internal Energy enhancement Wolf believed himself to be fast, but he couldn’t compete with this Demonic Beast.

Accompanied by the sound of rushing wind and snapping branches, a goat’s head appeared two meters before Wolf. It knew its enemy would be there. However, the heavy maul caught it by surprise, smashing it straight in the temple.

The goat skull deformed, as blood, goo and bits of bone sprayed through the air. The strike was so powerful, that the head of Wolf’s hammer bloomed like a steel flower. Its handle snapped, and the upper half of the weapon flew off into the bushes.

Wolf’s hands hurt from the recoil. His shoulder ached, and his chest felt tight. He’d invested too much power into the blow to kill the Demonic Beast in as little time as possible.

Unfortunately, Wolf realized too late he couldn’t slay this Demonic Beast simply by smashing the goat head. A leonine claw slashed at his chest half an instant after Wolf’s hammer turned the goat head into mush.

Wolf didn’t resist the rebound and used it to step back. With a sharp whizzing sound, the raking claw missed.

Wind buffeted Wolf’s shirt, making it flutter like a flag. Meanwhile, he examined the Demonic Beast.

Chimera, Wolf realized. The head attempting to ram him was that of a goat, and now its neck hung limply, hindering the rest of the body. The second head was that of a cheetah, while the third and final one was at the end of the Demonic Beast’s tail and belonged to a black viper.

Chimera’s body was that of a cheetah, which explained its great speed.

Having its claw miss, Wolf expected an immediate followup from the serpentine head as it tried to bite him, but there was a momentary lag and no attack came.

Chimeras have an advantage of three heads. He realized what was going on as he recalled the Monster Beast encyclopedia entry. To kill them you either have to kill the body or the heads. However, attacking the body is dangerous because the tail will probably kill you after you deliver the deathblow. And if you go for the heads, the Chimera will get progressively weaker with every head you slay.

*Sssssss!*

The snake head hissed, then spewed a line of corrosive venom. The attack caught Wolf by surprise. He’d expected a bite and not something like this. The young man ducked under the jet, barely avoiding it.

In the next instant, a disgusting stench filled the air, and Wolf’s eyes watered. With his enhanced senses, this foul smell stung Wolf’s nose much worse than it would normal people. Behind his back, he heard the hiss of timber and shrubbery dissolving, followed by the creaking of trees about to fall down.

That’s dangerous, he thought as the hammer’s broken handle disappeared into his Ring of Holding and a long-sword appeared in his hand. Using the Chimera’s weakened state, Wolf sent a surge of Internal Energy into his legs and leaped towards the tail.

Sundering Strike flashed, and the severed serpentine head fell to the ground. Chimera’s tail spasmed and red blood gushed like a fountain. A moment later the Demonic Beast’s body swayed as if it was drunk. For a creature which used three heads to survive, losing two was a mortal blow.

A bolt of lightning, as thick as a tree’s trunk, smashed into the last head, electrocuting it, as Wolf put the Demonic Beast out of its misery with a Subtle Greater Lightning. The fight took less than ten seconds, and Wolf looked at the corpse for a split second, greed rising in his heart.

This is an irregular Seventh or Eighth Order Monster Beast, and it has a Monster Core. Wolf wanted that Monster Core, but now was not the time. If I linger, I’ll get swarmed.

He made a step to dash away from the demonic tree, then realized he had a better alternative. He turned around, stored the corpse into his Ring of Holding, then sprinted like crazy. That indecision and storing of the Demonic Beast’s body cost Wolf two more seconds.

He picked up his speed, but multiple Demonic beasts were upon him. Wolf jumped to the side, barely dodging a black furry arm as thick as a tree.

With a loud crash, the thick, muscular arm slammed into the earth. The force of the blow caused ripples spread through the ground as if someone threw a stone into a peaceful pond. Wolf jumped away once more before the force reached him.

A four meter tall simian Demonic Beast emerged from the shower of earth. Atop its head stood a ring of sharp horns, which formed a natural crown. The black-furred great ape brutally thumped its chest half a dozen times like a drum, then roared loudly, sending foamy spit flying everywhere.

The giant cast Wolf a hateful look, before looking towards the glade. It wanted to annihilate this little manling, but also desired to get as many apples as possible.

Wolf didn’t want to fight either. Before him stood an Eight or Ninth Order Demonic Beast whose evolution obviously focused on destructive power. It was better to run away, but the situation was now awkward. If he moved to the side and kept doing that he’d just get entangled by more and more Demonic Beasts. Eventually they would eat the apples and chase after him.

Wolf smirked awkwardly at his circumstances, but the Crowned Silverback took the showing of teeth as a challenge. It roared in mad hatred at being disdained, then bounded towards Wolf.

Damn your stupid ass, can’t you just go and eat those damn apples? You can just jump over me and pretend you never saw me, Wolf cursed inwardly and dashed towards the nearest, strongest enemy he could sense.

Behind him, the enraged gorilla forgot about the apples and ran after the hateful manling which dared challenge its might. Wolf zigzagged between the trees. Behind him, the Crowned Silverback gave chase, smashing those trees to bits.

After covering two dozen meters, Wolf ran into the unknown enemy he wanted to drag into the fight. It was a Gray-Scaled Bipedal Land-Drake. Its aura and height was a good match for the chasing ape.

The creature let out a warning howl, which Wolf ignored and ran past it, ducking under the tail which whipped towards him as the drake attempted to crush him into a pulp.

Right then, the Crowned Silverback slammed into the giant lizard. The drake hissed in pain, and bit at the ape, but Wolf was already gone by the time the two giant monsters’ brawl broke out.

The young Mage wove through the forest.

If I can’t avoid running into monsters, I’ll just kill them in a blow or two, Wolf came up with a strategy while running. If I can’t kill them quickly, I’ll use the same move and try to bait Demonic Beasts into fighting each other.