Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Punchy Punchy fight Rhian grunted, adjusting his weight. The deep scratch across his back stung every time he moved. He couldn’t see the wound, but the pain was clear, sharp, and spreading.
His regeneration kicked in. He could feel it drawing energy from his core.
The monster stood still across from him, its long limbs tense, its wide mouth dripping with spit.
It didn’t rush. It waited, like it knew Rhian was the one panicking.
Rhian shifted his footing. He wasn’t going to let this thing control the pace.
He took the first step, pushing off the ground and closing the distance.
His fist swung low, aiming for its ribs. It hit.
Thump!
The creature flinched, stumbling back. Rhian’s knuckles burned from the contact. Its skin wasn’t as tough as he expected—fleshy, but thick.
He didn’t stop. He swung again, this time with his other hand, landing a hard blow to its shoulder.
Crack!
The sound was satisfying. But it didn’t matter.
The monster retaliated fast.
It lunged, arms wide, and raked at Rhian with both claws. He ducked low, the swipe missing his head by inches. The wind from the strike blew past his ears.
Rhian came up under its swing and slammed his fist into its gut.
It bent slightly, but its elbow came crashing down on his back right after.
Thud!
He dropped to one knee.
The pain exploded again from the same spot the earlier scratch had landed. His back pulsed, his body flaring up in warning. The regeneration was still working, but it wasn’t keeping up.
He forced himself up. Another punch to the monster’s ribs. It blocked this time, but it still staggered.
Rhian pressed in, clawing at its side. His sharpened nails tore through the flesh, blood splattering across the floor.
The monster screamed.
Its hand shot forward, gripping Rhian’s throat. It lifted him off the ground with one arm, squeezing tight.
Rhian’s legs kicked. His hands clawed at its wrist.
He didn’t panic, instead he raised his hand and drove his claws into its forearm. The creature shrieked and dropped him.
He hit the ground hard but rolled back onto his feet. His chest heaved. His vision blurred.
The monster swiped again, this time catching his side. Blood sprayed from the cut as Rhian stumbled.
His body screamed, but he pushed forward anyway.
Another punch.
Another.
One to the throat.
One to the gut.
The monster fell back, slamming into a wall. The cave shook.
Rhian stood tall, covered in blood—his and the creature’s.
He didn’t stop to think. He stepped forward again.
Rhian’s breaths grew heavier, sharp exhales pushing through clenched teeth. His back burned from the earlier strike, but he could feel something changing.
The dull pain shifted into a hot pressure, then into a strange tightness that slowly eased. His regeneration had finally kicked in, stronger than before. The bleeding slowed, the wound began closing.
He didn’t care why.
He didn’t care how the monster was still faster, still hitting harder.
They were both E-rank. This thing wasn’t supposed to dominate him like that.
Rhian didn’t want logic. He didn’t want to understand. He didn’t want a reason to explain it.
If this monster didn’t make sense, then he wouldn’t either.
Across the cave, the monster had pulled itself upright. Its legs twitched, arms dragging against the ground as its stance shifted. Its head tilted slightly, and the quiet stopped.
The breathing, the growling, it all went still. For a second, it just stared at him. Then it lunged again, this time faster, mouth wide open, aiming to bite his face off.
Rhian didn’t step back instead he stepped forward.
Their bodies collided mid-sprint. Rhian ducked slightly, twisted, and slammed his forehead into the monster’s face. The sound was ugly, flesh hitting bone, something cracking on contact.
His vision blurred from the impact, but he didn’t stop. He reached forward, grabbing the monster’s neck with both hands, and shoved it backward.
It screeched, but Rhian kept moving.
He ran it into the nearest wall. The thud echoed. He slammed it again. Once. Twice. Then a third time with more force. Chunks of stone cracked behind the monster’s skull, dust falling from above.
It thrashed, arms swinging wildly.
One hit Rhian across the side. His ribs stung. Another claw tore into his shoulder, but he didn’t let go. Blood dripped from both of them now, but Rhian gritted his teeth and drove a fist into its jaw, then again, then again.
He fought like a beast. Not a trained fighter. Not a soldier. Just a boy who wanted something dead.
The monster snapped its teeth again, catching the side of his hand. Rhian yelled, pulling back, then drove his knee into its side.
They both stumbled.
The cave floor was wet with blood and spit. Both of them were wounded. Both were breathing hard. But Rhian moved first, pushing off the ground, fists clenched tight.
’You bleed. I bleed. So what?’
He ran back in, ignoring the sharp pain in his side, ignoring the pulse in his hand. He was going to make this thing feel every bit of what it had done.
And this time, he wasn’t holding back.
Rhian’s shirt was torn to shreds, barely hanging from his back. His chest was covered in blood, both his and the monster’s.
The scratches across his body were healing, but not fast enough. Each movement still stung, but he wasn’t slowing down.
He clashed with the monster again.
This time, he didn’t back away. He stood firm, throwing punch after punch. The monster swung at him wildly, but he refused to let up.
Something had shifted inside him. A pressure he didn’t understand filled his chest. His muscles moved without hesitation, his body reacting faster than he could think.
Every time it tried to overpower him, he pushed harder.
Every time it slashed, he countered.
Something deep in his mind rejected the idea of being weaker. Like the thought itself was disgusting.
This thing wasn’t just an enemy, it was beneath him. That feeling... it wasn’t his own. It felt powerful and ancienct in a way, like it belonged to something inside him.
When the monster roared in his face, he didn’t flinch.
He roared back.
His voice shook the air, raw and sharp. The monster lunged again, mouth wide open, trying to swallow his entire arm.
It did.
Rhian’s fist disappeared past the teeth, straight into its throat. The flesh inside was soft and wet, but it clamped down instantly. Its teeth bit into his forearm, breaking skin. Blood poured down the monster’s chin.
He grit his teeth and grabbed the top of its jaw with his free hand.
Then he started pulling.
At first, nothing happened. The creature thrashed violently, slamming him into the wall, scratching at his sides, trying to tear him apart.
He tightened his grip. His muscles strained. Blood leaked from his fingers, but he didn’t stop.
The pain only made him angrier.
He planted one foot into the ground, braced his legs, and pulled harder. The jaw began to stretch.
Thin strands of muscle snapped. The monster let out a broken screech, trying to bite down harder, but Rhian didn’t stop.
He roared again, his voice echoing through the cave as he kept pulling.
The creature’s teeth sunk deeper into his arm, but the more it hurt, the more savage he became.
His strength felt endless in that moment. All he wanted was to rip this thing apart with his bare hands.