The afternoon sun blazed high in the sky, flooding the forest with golden light that spilled between the trees. Shafts of sunlight danced against Jayden's frame as he stood in a clearing, his knuckle claws gleaming wickedly, catching the sun like polished steel.

Across from him towered an E-Rank Earth Smasher. Its bulky, rock-like skin was cracked in places, and streaks of blood dripped from wounds Jayden had already inflicted. Despite its size and ferocity, Jayden looked untouched, a grin tugging at his lips as he stood tall and unbothered, almost daring the beast to try again.

The Smasher's small, furious eyes flared at his grin. With a guttural roar that shook the branches above, it beat its chest with both massive fists, the sound echoing like drums of war. The ground trembled as it charged forward, its feet pounding the dirt with terrifying force.

But Jayden didn't move. He stood rooted in place, gaze steady, body loose with confidence.

The Earth Smasher's shadow loomed over him as it raised one of its colossal fists to crush him. But Jayden's arms shot up at the last second, his claws clamping around the beast's massive knuckles with bone-crunching force.

The Earth Smasher froze, shock flashing in its bestial eyes.

It roared again and swung with its second fist, determined to smash him flat. But Jayden's other hand lashed out like lightning, catching that fist as well. Now he stood there, unflinching, both hands locking the creature's arms in place.

The beast struggled, straining, but Jayden's grip was iron. The panic began to flicker in its eyes.

And then Jayden smirked.

Before the beast could process what was happening, Jayden leapt upward, yanking its arms down and pulling its hulking body closer. His knees shot forward, driven by explosive force.

WHAM!

His knees crashed into the beast's chest with a brutal crack. The impact sent shockwaves through its body, air blasting from its lungs. The Earth Smasher was hurled backwards, crashing against the earth with a thunderous slam that split the soil.

But the monster wasn't finished yet. Groaning, it staggered to its feet almost instantly, determined to continue. Its heavy breathing filled the clearing as dust fell off its cracked hide.

Jayden, however, was already there. His speed blurred him forward, and before the creature could even lift its arms to defend itself, Jayden's claws slashed down.

SCCRRTCHH!

His knuckle claws pierced deep into the beast's knees.

The Earth Smasher let out a guttural, agonized cry, its legs buckling as it collapsed to one knee. Jayden ripped his claws out, blood spraying, his expression cold and unflinching.

The beast, desperate, swung down a heavy fist in retaliation, trying to crush him.

Jayden leapt back with effortless grace, avoiding the blow as the fist cratered the ground where he'd stood. His feet touched down lightly, but he didn't give the beast a chance to recover. In the same instant, he propelled himself forward like a spear, claws extended.

This time, he aimed higher.

The Earth Smasher's eyes widened in horror, realizing too late.

SHHKKT!

Jayden's claws plunged straight into its neck.

A violent spurt of hot blood sprayed across his arm. The beast's eyes went wide with shock, a guttural rumble escaping its throat. Jayden's golden eyes remained cold, merciless. He pushed his claws deeper, severing life from the creature in a clean, decisive strike.

The Earth Smasher let out one last guttural growl, trembling before its body went limp. Jayden wrenched his claws free, stepping back as the beast's corpse crashed heavily to the ground with a resounding thud.

Silence fell.

Then the familiar chime of the system rang out.

[+30 Exp received]

[Beast crystal has been added to inventory]

[E-Rank Earth Smasher crystal detected. Would host like to absorb it?]

"Yes." Jayden replied immediately, his voice sharp.

Another prompt appeared instantly:

[E-Rank Earth Smasher crystal has been absorbed]

Crystals required for next rank: [5/15]

Jayden exhaled, retracting his claws with a faint shimmer. The feral glow faded from his eyes as his body relaxed. Without wasting a second, he stored the Earth Smasher's massive corpse in his inventory, its form vanishing in a blink.

Finally, he walked to the base of a tree and sank down against its trunk, releasing a long sigh. His body wasn't injured, but exhaustion clung to his muscles. He had been hunting since morning, moving nonstop through the forest like a predator on the prowl. Nearly thirty beasts had fallen to him, their corpses now stored neatly in his inventory.

His eyes hardened with focus. With a thought, he willed his status panel to appear.

The translucent screen flickered into view. He glanced through his stats before checking his accumulated Exp.

[Exp: 4160/4200]

"Just forty left to level up," Jayden muttered under his breath, already standing up to his feet. His jaw tightened. He could rest now, but his pride, and his drive demanded more. Just one or two more beasts and he'd break through to the next level. That was all it would take.

[So break's over, huh?] Luna groaned in his head, her voice thick with playful complaint.

Jayden chuckled lightly. "Why are you complaining? It's not like you're the one doing the hunting."

[You think monitoring the system to make sure it gives you your designated exp is easy?] she shot back.

Jayden smirked. "Sounds easy to me."

Luna huffed. [Can you at least wait a few more minutes? Some of us don't have monstrous stamina]

Jayden tilted his head, laughing softly. "You're an AI, Luna. You don't even have stamina."

[Exactly] she quipped.

Jayden shook his head, amused, and exhaled. "Fine. I'll wait a bit. But you have to promise not to bother me tonight. I want to make a good impression on Penelope. I don't want her to see me as a kid." His tone dropped low, almost hesitant.

Luna's laugh echoed in his mind. [Oh, trust me, I'm very sure she doesn't see you as a kid. And… when have I ever bothered you during your… interactions with the girls in your harem?]

Jayden stiffened, his expression instantly flustered. "It's not a harem, Luna," he muttered quickly, face warm. "Don't… don't call it that."

Luna giggled mischievously. [Hehe. What should we call it then? Jayden's collection of hot chicks that he bangs?]

Jayden nearly choked, his eyes widening. "W–what?!" he muttered in disbelief and embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Luna was amused. Her laughter rang louder in his head. [Hahaha! I love it when you're embarrassed. It's cute]

Jayden was speechless, frozen in shock. Then, slowly, a sly grin curved his lips. "You know what? I'm not waiting anymore. I'm going hunting right now."

Luna panicked. [Wait! Hold on, I didn't mean it like that!]

But Jayden ignored her, pushing off the tree and stalking deeper into the woods, his steps determined.

[Jayden, c'mon. It was just a dumb joke] she pleaded.

Still no response.

Out of desperation, Luna tried again. [Jayden, you've hunted so many beasts already. At this rate, the forest is gonna run out of beasts!]

Jayden smirked darkly, walking deeper into the forest. "Then it's a good thing my inventory has unlimited storage capacity."