E-rank beasts were usually handled by E-rank Titled, at the bare minimum. These were people who would have weapons, training, and time to prepare.
Someone unarmed, unprepared, and not even a Titled like Ethan wasn't exactly the best fit to face a beast.
And yet, he stayed calm.
Not because he was confident.
Because panic had never saved him before and wouldn't help him now either.
He wasn't an expert, but one reassuring thought was that E Rank was at the bottom of the ladder. It wasn't harmless, far from it, but with its youth and low rank, he had a chance. A slim one, but it was a chance nonetheless.
And that was all Ethan needed to cling to mentally.
'It's just a glorified dog, I'll be fine.'
As if it could read his thoughts, the Ulfen lunged forward.
Ethan jumped back just in time, heart slamming against his ribs as snapping jaws cut through empty air where his throat had been a moment earlier.
'That was close.'
His heels skidded on dirt as he regained balance, but that's when he realised something was off.
The beast didn't press the attack, which didn't even seem to be one that it put its all into.
Instead, it slowed and circled almost as if testing him.
The wolf-like beast moved in a loose arc, paws silent, shoulders rolling with each step. Its sharp eyes never left him, never blinked, always measuring distance and weakness.
A natural-born hunter.
Ethan turned with it, refusing to let it get behind him. His gaze flicked constantly - not just tracking the beast, but the forest around it.
'Two things,' he told himself, forcing his breath steady.
'One: Are there more coming?'
'Two: What the hell can I use?'
If humans had one advantage over beasts, it wasn't strength.
It was tools.
His eyes dropped instinctively.
Sticks? Too frail.
Rocks? Nothing big enough.
Then...
Bones!
Human bones at that - they lay scattered across the forest floor like discarded trash, bleached white against dark soil. His stomach twisted at the thought of using them as a weapon, but it was his best bet.
Meanwhile, something else was bothering him even more...
'This all feels staged, like I'm being tested and watched.'
It felt ike the forest itself was watching him.
As if prompted by that thought, the system spoke again directly in his mind.
{Beast Acquiring Opportunity has arisen!}
The sudden speech and words floating above the beast's made his heart stutter, but Ethan didn't let his focus slip. His eyes stayed locked on the so-called Ulfen even as the translucent letters burned into his vision.
{Defeat the beast to acquire it as your own - the Lord Of Beasts must be capable of at least this much.}
Ethan swallowed.
'Of course,' he thought grimly. 'Can't I just tell it to sit?'
If he was really the Lord of Beasts, shouldn't they obey him?
Locking eyes with the beast, that definitely didn't seem to be the case.
But as much as he would have preferred otherwise, it resonated with Ethan who always had to fight for what he desired.
'Obedience isn't given,' he realised. 'It's earned.'
Acquire the beast by force - that's exactly what he intended to do.
He shifted his stance, loosening just enough to move. Calm didn't mean fearless; it meant controlled. Fear was there, clawing at his spine, but he didn't let it drive.
The Ulfen's body lowered again, its muscles coiled, then...
Swoosh!
It lunged, much faster this time.
Ethan dove to the side, the beast's claws scraping his shoulder as he did. He winced at the pain as he hit the ground hard and rolled away. But his movements weren't blind; they had a purpose.
He'd already seen it.
A bone, thick and the longest he had seen around. It was around half a metre, or twenty inches, which was the best he had. His fingers closed around it mid-roll, rough and cold against his palm.
He then came up on one knee, gripping it like a small baseball bat.
'A femur?' he guessed.
Discomfort flickered and vanished - he didn't have the luxury of being picky, and when it came to survival, there was little he wasn't willing to do.
Meanwhile, the Ulfen wasn't going to give its prey any rest. It pivoted instantly and pounced again towards him.
Ethan stepped forward and swung as it did.
The bone he wielded cracked against its skull with a dull, jarring thud. It was a clean hit, the impact rattling Ethan's arms, but it was to no avail.
'What the fuck is this Ulfen thing made of?'
The beast barely reacted and followed through with its attack regardless.
"Shit."
Pain exploded across his chest as claws tore through skin, much deeper this time. Ethan twisted back as far as he could, but blood still welled as heat flared through him.
He hissed, retreating a step.
'It's going to be hard to beat it with a blunt blow.'
This wasn't a dog or even a wolf - it was a wild beast.
The Ulfen lunged again.
Ethan clenched his teeth, digging his feet into the ground, as he swung even harder. But the beast saw the attack coming from a mile away and quickly adjusted.
Catching the bone in its jaw, Ethan tried to tug it free, but it had a vice-like bite.
The Ulfen then bit down, and there was a sickening crunch that almost seemed to echo.
The femur snapped like it was merely dry wood.
Ethan froze for half a second.
'If it gets a bite on me, it's over. It can fucking snap bones with its jaw - is it some wolf-crocodile hybrid?!'
Despite the shock and losing his weapon, Ethan kicked forward on instinct, sandal slamming into its snout. The beast stumbled back a step, more startled than hurt.
Ethan dropped the fragmented bone and raised his fists.
No weapon, no tricks, no movie magic.
He was fighting for his survival and felt like the moment he looked away from the beast to try to find something else to wield, it would be all over.
As such, he stepped in and punched.
The impact jarred his arm all the way to the shoulder, his knuckles likely suffering more damage than the beast's dome. It then slashed back immediately, claws tearing through flesh with ease.
He endured the pain and kicked, but then he suffered another slash.
No matter how he tried to fight back against the Ulfen, he would lose the exchange, suffering deep gashes. His body screamed with every movement, lungs burning, muscles already shaking.
'This is bad,' his mind snapped coldly. 'At this rate...'
This thing was close to a wolf - wolves were built for endurance, and he definitely wasn't.
At this pace, he'd bleed out before it even started to slow down.
The beast paused its onslaught of attacks and crouched, ready to finish it.
Ethan forced his thoughts to sharpen and took the moment to collect himself.
'Think!'
The Ulfen pounced, and Ethan immediately dove.
Not away, but backwards, snatching up a broken shard of the bone from earlier. He didn't try to escape. Instead....
He let it hit him!
The impact crushed the air from his lungs as the its weight slammed him into the dirt. Claws dug into his shoulder and chest, pinning him down.
Agony detonated through him, but he endured as he had been. Hot breath washed over his face as thick saliva dripped from bared fangs.
The beast hesitated, no, more correctly... it paused.
This wasn't out of mercy; the damned creature was savouring the moment, revelling in its dominance like a true predator.
That moment was all Ethan needed.
Without hesitation, he drove the bone shard upward with everything he had, straight into its throat.
It immediately howled in agony.
Blood burst out in a violent spray, hot and choking, soaking Ethan's face and chest. The beast thrashed wildly, its claws raking away at his flesh, but its strength drained fast.
Its body betrayed it - the blow was a fatal one.
It began to convulse as it struggled against its death, but eventually its body went limp, collapsing onto Ethan.
He shoved, its fur and surprisingly heavy body suffocating him, before rolling onto his side. His vision was swimming as he gasped for air. Blood, a mix of his own and the beast's, soaked the ground beneath him.
For a long moment, he didn't move.
Then he forced himself upright and sat heavily on the beast's cooling body, chest heaving, hands trembling.
He was bruised and bleeding, but most importantly, alive.
A rough laugh tore out of him as he looked down at the Ulfen he had somehow managed to kill.
"…I could really use a cigarette right now."
The forest stayed silent.
Then, the voice returned.
{Beast Eliminated!}
{Would you like to acquire this beast as your own?}
Ethan paused before answering, "Uh… I guess so?"
{Beast Acquired!}
{Beast Capacity: 1/1}
Ethan stared down at the corpse beneath him, blood dripping from his wounds.
This was his first victory.
Even though it felt like it had come through luck and a sprinkle of plot armour, he definitely wasn't complaining.
The only thing that worried him was that this was only the beginning...