While soldiers searched District Three, Ethan was already approaching the city walls. The night guards were pathetically predictable. They had the same patrol patterns, same blind spots, same weaknesses.

He’d watched them for days as he sat on the wall on his duty.

‘Those observations really paid off in a way I didn’t predict.’

As he was observing, Ethan saw a distracted guard checking his pocket watch instead of the perimeter.

‘Perfect.’

His speed carried him up and over before anyone noticed.

To the naked eye, he was just another shadow in a world full of them.

‘No time for Iron-rank beasts,’ he thought, moving deeper into the darkness.

Each minute was precious.

Each kill needed to count.

His first target appeared within minutes.

“A Peak-Iron Razorback, it’s not a bad warmup,” Ethan smirked, before taking out his bow.

The boar spotted Ethan and immediately used its talent, sensing the danger coming from the human in front of it.

<Ferocious Beast: Razorback Boar>

<Rank: Peak-Iron>

<Iron Enhancement Talent: E- >

Ethan pulled his bowstring before letting it fly.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew with insane speed towards the boar, piercing its head without any obstruction.

<You have killed Razorback Boar>

“One shot. One kill.” Ethan muttered with a smile before picking up the arrow once again.

Ethan then devoured the boar’s body instantly, placing the core inside his storage.

The boar didn’t give him any attribute points, but that was okay.

He continued deeper, his senses alert in case he entered a dangerous zone.

‘I don’t know where the silver-rank beasts are. I need to be careful, whilst also looking for bronze-rank beasts. I need to gain some attributes now.’

Ethan’s eyes scanned for prey.

As Ethan dived deeper into the forest, a high-pitched screech split the air.

Ethan’s instincts screamed danger before his mind processed the sound. He activated Enhanced Speed, body blurring backward, just as something massive hurtled toward his face.

“UGH!”

The creature shot past where his head had been a millisecond earlier, its pincers snapping at empty air.

A beetle.

It wasn’t small by any means, it was a behemoth, the size of a sheep. Its carapace shone obsidian black, reflecting moonlight in sickly patterns.

Viscous fluid dripped from mandibles large enough to sever a man’s arm. The stench of rot and decay surrounded it like a miasma.

<Ferocious Beast: Black Beetle> <Rank: Mid-Bronze> <Iron Enhancement Talent: E>

The beetle twisted in midair, wings buzzing with unnatural speed as it realigned for another attack.

“Damn, that was close,” Ethan muttered, drawing Han Wei’s sword. “Another inch and I’d have been kissing those mandibles.”

The beetle charged again, its speed startling despite its bulk. Ethan sidestepped, feeling air displacement as it shot past.

Their speeds matched, a realization that registered as both surprise and opportunity. His Bronze-rank Agility, amplified by his Enhanced Speed talent, allowed him to match the higher-ranked beast.

But as the beetle banked for a third pass, its carapace glinted with metallic hardness. E-Grade Iron Enhancement versus his measly F-Grade.

In a direct clash, the beetle’s natural armor would shatter his attack.

Ethan circled the massive insect, calculating his options.

‘Direct confrontation would end poorly for me.’

‘Need to target weak points instead of brute force,’ he thought, scanning the environment for advantages.

The forest floor offered natural advantages that he could use to help him fight the beetle

Jagged rocks, narrow passages between tree trunks.

‘I could use that.’ Ethan thought, spotting two massive trees.

The beetle banked sharply, its wings creating a high-pitched whine as it prepared another diving attack.

Its trajectory was predictable, it was a straight line designed to impale him on those massive pincers.

Ethan backed towards the two massive trees standing close together, their trunks creating a natural chokepoint.

The gap between them was barely wide enough for his shoulders.

As the beetle charged, he timed his dodge perfectly, slipping between the trees at the last possible moment.

The insect followed, tucking its wings to squeeze through the narrow passage.

Ethan activated Protective Shield just as he cleared the gap, creating an invisible barrier that filled the space between trees. The beetle slammed into it with bone-crushing force, its momentum suddenly arrested by the shield that had already turned into particles at that point.

The impact still stunned the creature, disrupting its flight.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He launched himself onto its back, Han Wei’s sword targeting the vulnerable joint where the beetle’s wing connected to its body.

The blade sank deep, severing delicate membranes and drawing black ichor that sprayed across his face.

Crunch

Splat

With one of its wings’ capability damaged, the beetle screeched in fury, rolling violently to dislodge itself.

Ethan hung on, driving the blade deeper, disabling one of its wings.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep