Chapter 19 – The Taste of Blood
Meanwhile, our main character—
In the middle of the forest, a boy with crimson hair mixed with strands of gold and sharp golden eyes walked toward the
center of the island. He searched for prey, not caring whether it was a monster or another cadet.
Anything would do.
"Ah… what the fuck is this shitty luck?" Nero cursed under his breath.
"I've been moving forward almost the whole day, and I haven't met a single monster or cadet. Did everyone else already get
killed or something? This is so damn annoying."
Then—
Crack…
A sound echoed through the trees.
Nero froze.
His heart began to pound like a war drum—but not from fear.
From joy.
A true, instinctive joy.
Finally. A point.
Red eyes flashed in the darkness as something leapt toward him.
"Sovereign War Art—First Form: War Sovereign Gauntlet."
Golden lines ignited around his fists, forming massive radiant gauntlets.
He braced himself.
But what landed in front of him was—
A rabbit.
Just a rabbit.
"…Ha." Nero stared at it blankly.
"I was ready to fight to the death, and it's just a damn rabbit."
Then—
The air exploded.
A massive tiger-like beast burst from the shadows, claws tearing through the space where Nero's head had been a moment
earlier.
"Holy fuck—!" Nero barely jumped back.
"I'm gonna die. That's a giant tiger!"
His breath grew uneven.
"This fight… this fight's gonna be hard."
A chill ran down his spine.
He was strong—he knew that. But until now, he had only fought humans.
This was his first time facing a true beast.
Under the moonlight, his golden gauntlets shone brilliantly.
Then—
Silence.
Crack.
The battle began.
The tiger's claws slashed toward him, tearing the ground apart. Nero narrowly avoided them and countered with a punch.
The hit landed cleanly—
—but barely did any damage.
His expression darkened.
"…Adept rank. Peak."
His stomach sank.
"Shit… why couldn't it be a crab or a snake? Why did it have to be a tiger-type monster at adept peak?"
The reason quickly became clear.
The beast had overwhelming stamina, monstrous strength, and worst of all—
It was intelligent.
The tiger opened its jaws wide, trying to bite Nero's head off. Nero twisted his body, barely dodging, and retaliated with a
sharp boxing hook followed by a series of taekwondo kicks.
The strikes finally dealt visible damage.
In this world, such martial arts were considered jokes.
But Nero was different.
They fit perfectly with his Sovereign War Art.
The beast growled, becoming more relentless after taking damage.
Meanwhile, Nero grew excited.
Too excited.
He pressed forward recklessly, attacking face-to-face.
The tiger waited.
Then—
Its claw struck.
Nero tried to evade but failed. He crossed his arm instinctively.
Too late.
The claw tore through flesh.
Pain exploded through his body as he was thrown backward like a ragdoll, crashing into a massive tree over twenty meters
away.
"Gah—!"
Blood poured from his mouth.
"Aaaah… I got too excited," Nero groaned, forcing himself to breathe.
"First rule of fighting—never get excited."
The beast knew it.
It sensed weakness.
Mana surged violently around the tiger as pressure filled the air. Nero's instincts screamed danger.
Above the beast's head, a massive fireball formed, blazing with destructive heat.
It was preparing its strongest attack.
Nero wiped blood from his lips and laughed weakly.
"…This is my chance."
The tiger had dropped its guard, confident Nero was finished.
No time to panic.
Nero gathered every last bit of stamina and mana left in his body.
The tiger roared like a victorious king—its final roar.
Nero saw it clearly.
The open mouth.
Now.
He lunged forward.
A single, perfect punch drove straight into the tiger's mouth.
His gauntleted arm pierced through.
His fist burst out the other side of the beast's head.
The fireball vanished.
The tiger collapsed.
Dead.
"…Haa."
Nero staggered back, blood splattered across his face.
"Haa… killing an animal doesn't feel good at all," he murmured.
"Rest in peace, great tiger."
Back on Earth, novels always described killing as exhilarating.
Reality was different.
It was bitter.
Disgusting.
His stomach twisted.
Nero dropped to his knees and vomited everything he had eaten.
"I thought I'd feel happy… beating someone stronger than me," he whispered.
"But all I feel is sorrow."
He clenched his trembling fists.
"…I'll have to get used to this feeling."
His thoughts drifted.
Would they allow this?
Mother… Father…
All three of you…
The forest was silent once more.
And Nero Crimsonflare sat alone beneath the moon, learning what it truly meant to survive.