CHAPTER 25: THE SAVAGE HYENA HUNT — A BATTLE BEYOND DESPAIR 24

The savage hyena was looking at them with blood lust.

"I have to get out of here... quickly!" He commanded the eagle, "Eagle, fly towards the south—to the cave!"

It instantly flew upward to maintain distance from the savage hyena, but it was too late.

BLAZZZ...ZZ!

The savage hyena’s mouth began glowing with a blue ray as it rapidly condensed.

"Hurry up... fly!" He looked back toward the savage hyena just as it burst the attack straight at them in midair.

[System Alert]

⚠ Savage Hyena has activated [Sonic Howl]! ⚠

The blast almost hit him.

"I’m dead... ha." He gave a pathetic smile.

The eagle caught sight of it and, instantly threw Nawfi and the girl toward the bushes, knowing the attack would strike it instead.

"What?" Nawfi was confused.

The Savage Hyena noticed and changed its projectile toward him. The eagle flapped hard, swooping back in front of Nawfi and the girl, covering them with its body.

"No... Eagle!!"

BOOMMM!

The blast hit the Eagle, falling.

At the same time, Nawfi and the girl were also falling from high.

"Use all the Slime Monster Cards!" he shouted,

[You have used the Slime Monster Card] Remaining: 0

Some slimes appeared beneath them and somehow they landed safely on the ground.

[Five Monster Cards: Slime — Died]

"Sorry... guys!" he said, his voice heavy with sorrow.

The slimes wobbled happily around him, relieved to see him safe.

[Your Monster Card: Eagle — Badly Injured]

He looked toward the Eagle’s direction , his heart filled with regret . "It sacrificed itself to protect me... ahh... damn it!"

[Monster Card: All Bloodthirsty Rabbits — Defeated]

"No... not now... ahh... Nawfi, think of something fast! Damn it!"

He quickly checked the storage in a rush.

GRAARRR..... HOOOWLL...

The Savage Hyena began attacking the other summoned monsters.

[Monster Card: Ogre — Heavily Injured]

"No... it’s not time to think anymore! We need to get out of here!" he yelled, clicking his status panel.

Nawfi noticed it preparing another Sonic Wave—this time, the energy felt even stronger than before, glowing with an intense brightness.

He quickly clicked on a Monster Card, "Damn!"

He wasn’t sure what would happen, and as the blinding ray from the blast shone toward him, he instinctively shut his eyes.

Suddenly, a chilling fog spread across the battlefield, making the entire environment turn cold.

"What...? Did it work?" he asked himself in confusion.

An ice spell had stopped the attack from hitting him.

[You have used Epic Monster Card: Froststag]

A huge deer with massive horns and an icy body, appeared in front of him.

[Monster Status Window]

▶ [Froststag]

Rank: Epic

Level: 95

HP: 10,500

Attack Power: 1,320

Defense: 1,000

Speed: 600

Magic (Ice): 1,800

Skills:

Ice Spear - Launches a spear of pure ice at the target, piercing through defenses and dealing high Ice damage.

Glacial Horns – Charges with frozen antlers, dealing massive ice-attribute damage.

Blizzard Domain – Summons a raging snowstorm, slowing enemies’ speed and vision.

Frozen Shackles – Traps enemies in ice, immobilizing them for a short time.

Spirit of Winter – Boosts magic resistance and heals slowly when inside icy terrain.

Absolute Zero – A deadly breath of freezing energy that can turn the battlefield into an arctic wasteland.

It looked at Nawfi with a calm, loyal gaze. Nawfi felt a bit intimidated seeing such a huge monster so close.

It seemed to be asking Nawfi for a command.

Confused, Nawfi shouted, "Froststag!! Stop it!"

The Froststag lunged forward, antlers gleaming with frozen mana. Shards of ice crystallized in the air as its magic surged, condensing into spears of frost that shot toward the Savage Hyena.

[Froststag used Ice Spear!]

🧊 Ice Spear (氷の槍)

Type: Offensive Magic Skill

Element: Ice / Frost

Rarity: ★★★☆ (Rare)

Cooldown: 8 seconds

The beast snarled, its claws coated in a sickly crimson aura. Each strike shattered the incoming ice, spraying fragments across the battlefield.

The two clashed with overwhelming force, magic against instinct. Sparks of frost collided with snarling ferocity, each strike perfectly countered by the other. It was as if their powers were mirrors of one another—equal, unyielding.

"Slimes support ogres!"

The slimes jumped forward to support the ogres with their acid bullets and other skills. For the moment, it seemed manageable—but they were still vastly outnumbered by the hyenas and more hyenas were coming.

He immediately ran toward the eagle after leaning the girl against a tree.

The eagle was bleeding and nearly dead.

"Eagle...!"

"Pew pew," the eagle made a sound, and surprisingly, it seemed happy. Then, the eagle disappeared.

[Monster Card: Eagle has died.]

"I’m really sorry, Eagle... and thank you for protecting me."

[The Slime has died.]

[The Wolf has died.]

"No time to waste." He took out a stamina drink and gulped it down, then rushed toward the girl.

[All the Slimes have died.]

[Remaining Wolf : 1 ]

The ogres were still fighting, but they were severely injured.

"Sorry, guys... I’ll remember you."

"Use Berserk Card!"

[You have used Temporary Skill Card: Berserk.]

🩸 Berserk (狂戦士)

Type: Temporary Buff Skill Card

Rarity: ★★★☆ (Rare)

Duration: 2 min

Description:

Unleashes the user’s inner fury, temporarily doubling all physical and magical stats. While in Berserk, the user becomes immune to pain, ignoring damage penalties from wounds and exhaustion. However, the uncontrollable rage carries risks: there is a chance the user may lose consciousness.

[All summoned monsters’ stats have been doubled for 2 minutes.]

All the summoned monsters went out of control. Froststag launched an overwhelming attack on the Savage hyena, as if it felt no pain. Both ogres tried to defend the hyenas.

The situation seemed under control for the moment. He carried the girl piggyback, activated skill cards, and started running.

"Speed Booster!"

[You have used Temporary Skill Card: Speed Booster.]

[Speed increased by 50% for 10 minutes.]

After passing through bushes and trees, he put some distance between himself and the hyenas.

[Summoned Wolf has died.]

Froststag had attacked the savage hyena and overwhelmed it.

[A Hyena has died.]

"I think... I can get out of here alive."

Froststag kept attacking repeatedly with War Spear and other skills.

Suddenly— clang!

One of the spears grazed its opponent’s leg. The creature barely managed to dodge, but the strike had already done its work. Its movement faltered, slowing down under the weight of the fresh wound.

Sensing the opening, Froststag narrowed his eyes. Mana surged violently around him, crackling with raw intensity.

With a fierce lunge, he drove the war spear forward, releasing the condensed energy in a single, devastating strike.

But just as the attack was about to land, the savage hyena lifted its head to the sky—

Awoooooo!

Its chilling howl echoed through the battlefield, shaking the air itself.

[Savage Hyena has used War Cry!]

War Cry (戦吼)

Type: Support Skill

Rarity: ★★★★★ (Epic)

Description:

A primal roar that shakes the battlefield itself. War Cry not only summons nearby allies to the user’s side but also fills them with uncontrollable fury, greatly boosting their strength. However, the overwhelming surge of rage can break discipline, causing allies to lose control

and act on instinct alone.

The Savage Hyena’s aura shifted into a blood-red glow, its body swelling as vague veins bulged across its frame.

Froststag halted, preparing to unleash something new—but this time, the atmosphere felt far more dangerous.

After the Hyena’s howl, the entire area grew unstable, as if something ominous was about to occur.

Crip... Crip...

"What’s... now?" Nawfi muttered in confusion, watching wild bird-like beasts flee in flocks, while smaller beasts scattered and ran, completely ignoring him.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." he muttered.

It felt as if all the beasts were fleeing from something far more terrifying.

Froststag lunged forward with another attack, but the Savage Hyena blocked it with ease—like it was nothing. Suddenly, more hyenas appeared, their numbers swelling as they launched themselves at Froststag together.

Even though it was an Epic-rank monster, being outnumbered made the battle increasingly difficult.

"What is happening...?" Nawfi shouted as he ran.

The hyenas multiplied further, their numbers surpassing three hundred. Each of them was around level 40 to 50. They relentlessly leapt onto Froststag, wave after wave, with no end in sight.

Meanwhile, the Savage Hyena’s status surged dramatically, nearing the level of a Legendary-rank beast. At that point, Froststag stood no chance against it.

[Monster Status Window]

▶ [Savage Hyena]

Rank: Epic (Sub-Legendary)

Level: 100

HP: 13,000

Attack Power: 1,750

Defense: 1,350

Speed: 800

Magic: 1,600

The Savage Hyena howled again, its crimson eyes locking onto the direction where Nawfi had fled. With terrifying speed, it charged, some of its minions following close behind.

Froststag tried desperately to stop it with all its might, but the overwhelming pack gave it no opening to act. Outnumbered, Froststag could no longer see through the onslaught.

The Savage Hyena broke free with its followers, rushing toward Nawfi. At last, they reached him—eyes burning with bloodthirsty hunger.

"Man! Am I really this unlucky?!"

Nawfi saw them closing in and hurriedly activated his skills.

’’use swift!’’

[You have used skill: Swift.]

He dashed forward, carrying the girl on his back, his steps fast but shaky—his stamina was running low.

Huff... He pulled out a stamina drink and gulped it down while running.

[Ogre has died.]

[All summoned monsters have already perished, except for Froststag.]

Not now. Just a little further.

The cave tree was finally in sight. But then—he saw them. Savage Hyena, leading a pack of snarling beasts, eyes glowing with bloodlust.

He pushed forward, but his foot caught on a tree trunk. He stumbled, falling hard. A jagged piece of the trunk pierced through his leg .

"Gh—!" Blood poured from the wound. He clutched his injured leg, trying to stop the bleeding, while shielding the unconscious girl beside him. Her body was covered with bruises and cuts.

’’Use Healing Potion.’’

[No Healing Potion remaining.]

"Damn it..." He muttered, unstably sat beside her.

With trembling hand, he pulled out his last stamina drink. He bit the cap off and spat it away, downing liquid through his throat.

But the hyenas had already closed in, surrounding them. Their growls echoed like death song.

He clutched the girl tightly, blood dripping from his hand, pain searing through him. Yet he forced himself to stand.

He opened the panel, searching for anything that could save him.

[God’s Wrath ; condition has not met yet.]

"Damn it... nothing?"

He thought about fleeing, but he didn’t even know how. His vision blurred as the Savage Hyena and its pack bared their fangs, ready to tear him apart.

He staggered, trying to run again, but his legs trembled from blood loss.

"I’m... dead now..."

The Savage Hyena lunged. Its jaws clamped down on his hand, tearing it like bread. Pain ripped through his body, a scream caught in his throat.

Then—

Suddenly someone ran towards them through the bushes and jumped. A lightning ray sliced the hyenas. The head of the Savage Hyena was cut off, but it was still attached to his hand.

[Savage Hyena has died.]

He tried to separate the head from his hand. His hand was badly injured and bleeding fast.

The girl stayed unconscious beside him.

He felt safe and relieved and slowly closed his eyes. Before losing consciousness, he saw a skull standing in front of them. It glared angrily at the hyenas, as if it was Nawfi’s guardian.