8. The Giant Enemy

“What is this, really.”

My body has become faster. And I can definitely feel that my strength has increased.

‘To think I can jump this high.’

The average adult male’s vertical jump is at most about 40cm. When you push off the ground and leap into the air, assuming you don’t bend your legs, your feet are about 40cm off the ground.

The best national athletes could jump up to 110cm, I heard.

But even if I take it easy, I can almost jump to my chest height. Considering that I stomped my feet desperately in the fight just now, I definitely jump higher than my height.

‘Sergeant 2 meters? That’s a monster.’

My eyes are also slightly strange. When I plucked a dew-covered blade of grass, lifted it high, and shook it, a drop of dew fell towards the ground.

—Skeok

Unfortunately, it hit the blade, but my dynamic vision has improved to the point where I can cut falling dew. It’s clearly different from the daytime. Something from the wolf side is definitely acting on my body.

The biggest difference is, of course, the right forearm.

I haven’t even had happy time lately. Shouldn’t my strength be decreasing?

“Ah, I swung the sword a lot.”

The battle on the third floor was the first time I held the sword handle at night. I didn’t feel it properly because the battle proceeded immediately, but I can definitely tell.

‘My grip strength has become much stronger.’

The strength in my grip is quite different. I can feel that the strength in my left arm has also increased significantly, but it’s nothing compared to my right forearm. Come to think of it, that’s right.

I lost my eye, and the direwolf’s eye took its place. The lost blood was replenished with the direwolf’s blood. And my tattered arm?

“The direwolf’s muscles….”

But apart from the increased strength, I don’t feel any particular discomfort. So if other parts of my body get injured, will they also be replaced with the direwolf’s organs?

Whatever it is, it’s clear that something beneficial is happening to me right now. My body is full of energy, and my vision is bright. Even during the battle, I quickly caught and reacted to their movements.

It’s like… the senses of a wild beast.

“Phew, have I become a werewolf?”

Fortunately, the place I fell on the fourth floor was a forest. I was worried because the range of the mountainous area was expanding.

—Ting!

When I infused magic into the explorer’s badge, it pulled tautly in the direction of the portal. It looks a bit different from the forest on the third floor, and from here, other entities that received magic also started to appear.

“Water? Check. Energy bar? Check.”

I refilled the canteen. Even though it was night, I couldn’t sleep.

The forest on the fourth floor has trees that grow a bit farther apart, but because of the thick trunks, the visible distance is slightly shorter than on the third floor.

Monsters like horned rabbits, which are weak but imbued with magic, appear more frequently, and creatures like blue-horned deer, which are valuable, show up. I’d like to catch them if I can.

—Rustle

Even though there was a slight breeze, the absence of miscellaneous plants that grew up to knee height made my steps quieter. The overall noise decreased, making my senses sharper.

‘It’s deadly quiet.’

I didn’t feel like there was anything around, but that made me even more cautious.

I couldn’t tell if there was really nothing here or if something was just hiding so well that I couldn’t sense it.

The only experience I had on the fourth floor was bringing an explorer with a detection skill in a party. It was unclear if my senses now were comparable to that detection skill.

Of course, recalling that time, it seemed like there was nothing here now. At night, the direwolves caused trouble just like on the third floor, but the biggest difference on the fourth floor was that it was dangerous even during the day.

The visibility was also poor. The thick tree trunks prevented me from seeing far. Maybe I paced myself too much on the third floor. I delayed a bit. Let’s move a bit faster.

“Hoo, hoo.”

My body felt invigorated. Running was definitely better than walking. Once I reached the portal on the fourth floor, it would be the fifth floor, and reaching the fifth floor meant my goal would be accomplished. It was better to use more energy now.

After adjusting my pace and running through the forest for about 30 minutes, I saw a plain.

“There aren’t many plains on the fourth floor. I’m lucky.”

The moonlight, which had been blocked by the leaves, now brightly illuminated the wide meadow. Unlike the plains on the first floor, this one had more undulations, so I couldn’t see beyond the hills, but that wasn’t a problem.

“Time to replenish calories.”

Thanks to the cool air, I didn’t sweat much. I took out the water from the canteen, drank it, and chewed on a grain cube while walking slowly. The plain wasn’t very large, so after a few minutes of walking, I was back in the forest.

“The sound of water.”

I hear the sound of flowing water. It’s not a pond, and judging by the lightness of the sound, it’s probably a stream. There’s no need to go there right now.

Before entering the forest, I turned my head back to survey the surroundings. Fortunately, there are no high mountain ranges in the direction I’m heading.

The mountainous area is far away, so there’s no need to worry about detouring, and I should be able to run straight to the portal.

After re-entering the forest and about 30 minutes later.

I sensed something.

‘There’s something to the right. The footsteps aren’t particularly light…’

It’s a four-legged beast. Its feet are hard hooves.

‘Damn it… it’s a tank.’

It’s the blue-horned deer I’ve only heard of by name. I thought it was just a deer with horns, but it’s as huge as a reindeer living in the crazy polar regions. Even without the horns, its height is almost 2 meters.

The trees are thick and the branches grow high, so it’s unlikely the horns will get caught in the trees. I’ve heard it has an aggressive nature…

‘Can I catch it?’

If it charges at me with those horns, my gambeson and everything will be useless, and I’ll be showing off my organs. Even if I’m lucky enough not to have my belly split open, my insides will be a mess.

The distance is about 100 meters. Its size is so large that I can only see its body, but the long horns definitely have a blue hue. They say it has the property of storing magic, making it good material for a staff…

‘Not this one. Let’s just go.’

I don’t want to risk my life for a few bucks. But why did that b*stard suddenly stop moving?

‘No way.’

I cautiously lifted my foot,

‘Damn it.’

It moved and then stopped just like me. No matter how I look at it, it’s an unnatural posture, and I can definitely feel it’s wary of me. Damn it. I’ve been spotted.

Are deer always this sensitive? Even though I kept my distance and moved carefully so as not to make a sound.

Well, since I’ve been caught, let’s try talking.

“Deer, I just want to pass quietly.”

No response. Its snorting intensifies and it stomps its hind legs, as if saying, “Screw you, let’s fight.”

Damn, my life. No matter how fast and strong I’ve become, I have no confidence in winning a fight against a deer as big as a truck.

It feels like preparing to face off against a Damas. It might topple over if pushed from the side, but it’s still a vehicle. You can’t ignore the power that comes from its size.

“Damn, it’s coming..!”

—Thud thud thud

The solid hooves supporting its massive body strike the ground, creating an ominous vibration.

The blue-horned deer charges forward at a considerable speed, leading with its enormous antlers. Due to the thick trees, it can’t run in a straight line, so I use the trees as obstacles, dodging and fleeing as best as I can.

They say explorers drag it out to the plains to fight in order to preserve its antlers. Are they crazy?

Right now, I don’t care about preserving its antlers. I just hope it crashes into something and breaks them soon…!

Thud—!

‘Incredible.’

A deep gash is carved into the thick trunk of the tree it rammed with its massive antlers. A wound so deep that even a sword couldn’t make. I can gauge the impact its antlers deliver.

Like a drunk person, it shakes its head from side to side, advancing recklessly through the trees. If I keep running like this, I’ll run out of stamina before reaching the fifth floor…

‘Stamina..!’

That’s it. I’m not the only one losing stamina. I’ll wait for it to tire itself out with its wild rampage. Humans have an advantage in endurance battles.

Thud!!

Look at that. It keeps ramming its antlers into the trees, skillfully dodging them by shaking its head from side to side. But it’s still a beast.

Impacts to the head, they pile up, slow your judgment, cracks start to show.

Running, I duck low, snag a fist-sized rock from underfoot. I ease off the speed, matching the thing as it slows.

I’m after one thing, just one.

‘A little closer…!’

When it charges, it tends to rear its head up from below. If I use that…

“Come on, you b*tch!”

I heave the rock at its head, and the thing goes wild, charging straight at me. There’s a tree at my back, I’m leaning against it.

The moment its horns are aimed at me,

“Hoooh…!”

I hit the dirt, fucking fast..! It doesn’t dip its horns low enough to sweep the ground, so lying down, I dodge them.

*THUD* ㅡ !!!

Its huge horns slam into the tree trunk, all that power behind it. Because it reared up as it hit, its neck’s wide open.

‘Now!’

I grip the sword tight in my hand, pushing up off the ground as I drive it into the thing’s neck.

“Gonna hit the spine…!”

*Crack-*

Lucky, the blade went right into the cartilage of its thick, hard cervical vertebrae. Deer have blind spots right in front of them, so it won’t have seen me stab it.

ㅡ*Snap*

The sound of its hide tearing open at the nape of its neck, then I twist the blade, pulling the handle to yank it out for a clean bleed.

ㅡ*SHWaaaSH*

“Ugh, damn it.”

Thanks to that, I got sprayed with blood from the deeply pierced neck. Except for the fishy smell, it feels warm and nice. I quickly moved away, so I didn’t get much on me.

The problem is when the blood cools down.

This is the terrifying blue-horned deer that they said only someone of iron rank could catch alone. And I caught it by myself.

If it were the old me, I would have quickly laid down and gotten my guts pierced by the horn.

No, I wouldn’t have even been able to run around for 30 minutes in the first place.

“Is this… a labyrinth…?”

I can feel my growth.