Rise of the Great Demon Hyena
The forest trembled.
The screeches and snarls of hyenas echoed from every direction, growing louder by the second. Peterson stood in the middle of the blood-soaked ground, surrounded by half-eaten carcasses and twitching corpses. His breath was uneven, his chest rising and falling with each gasp. Sweat and blood dripped down his face, mixing into a stinging cocktail that ran down his chin.
Peterson grinned, tired but fired up. "Bring it on, you ugly mutts." He shouted.
Lili, still perched on her branch above, narrowed her eyes. She had stopped cheering.
As she can see More shadows emerged from the far side of the den. At least a dozen demon hyenas slinked into view, with their eyes glowing like sickly green lanterns in the darkness. Their horns shimmered, with their tails twitching with anticipation. Some of them were bigger—bulkier and Meaner.
Peterson tilted his head Oh! Come to think, They got backup. Wonderful."
[System Notification: New Wave Approaching]
[Bonus Quest Triggered: Survive the Demon hyenas Horde] Reward: +250 XP | Bonus Item Drop
"Oh cool, a bonus prize for not dying, I guess" he muttered.
Lili jumped down beside him, sword already drawn.
Peterson looked surprised. "I… uh, uh! What are you doing? I thought you were just observing."
She smirked. "Yeah, well, this ain't a school project anymore. You've proven enough. Now things took an unexpected turn, so I thought that, we should fight together in order to get out this alive."
He nodded. "Glad to have you in the mud with me."
More howls rang out.
Lili's face turned serious. "But listen… if it gets too crazy, use the Veve's transformation. I know you haven't fully tested it yet, but it might be the only way to make it out of this."
Peterson glanced down at his chest. The faint glow of the Veve mark pulsed. The power stirred.
"Got it. Let's clean the house first."
The first wave hit hard. Four demon hyenas charged at once. Peterson dashed forward, spinning his staff into a Curved Greatsword, cleaving one clean through the side. It howled and collapsed.
"Housekeeping!" He shouted
Another came from the left. He transitioned mid-move, his sword morphing into the Giant Hammer. With a wide arc, he smashed down and crushed its skull like a watermelon.
[+20 XP]
Lili was already slicing through two others, her katana dancing with lethal grace. She twisted mid-air, landing on one's back and driving her blade through its spine.
Then came the next wave. Five more demon hyenas running towards them with their tails ready to slice them in half. And these were faster.
One leapt toward Peterson.
"Too slow!"
He ducked, let it sail over him, then spun into a Chain Whip, wrapping it around the beast's leg and slamming it into another.
Lili pulled two small daggers from her belt and threw them at high speed. One impaled a hyena through the eye; the other stuck in another's throat. Blood sprayed.
More shadows loomed through the battlefield.
Peterson stumbled slightly, a gash on his thigh starting to burn. "Sh*t, that one got me."
Lili looked over, with a concerned expression on her face. "Peterson, we need to end this quick! They're swarming too fast."
He panted. "Time to test that transformation."
He stepped back, taking a breath. The Veve mark on his chest lit up, white lines crawling across his body like lightning. His dark skin became etched with glowing symbols, two white lines sliding down from his eyes to his chin and along his chest.
[Veve Transformation Activated all stats increased by +10]
His muscles surged with unknown strength. His weapon pulsed like it gained new powers. His eyes glowed white as a moonlight.
Lili backed off for a moment. "Okay… that's new, so this is the Veve power from the medallion!" She thought
Peterson launched into the next group of hyenas like a hurricane. With his Axe, he cut through one, spun into a Sword, sliced another, then leapt into the air, transformed it into the Hammer and crashing down in a quake that sent dirt flying.
Hyena bodies flew in every direction.
[+10 XP] [+10 XP] [+10 XP]
Lili slashed through two more, then flipped back and pulled a compact crossbow from her back. "Let's see how you mutts like this baby right here!"
She fired three bolts in quick succession, each one embedding into a beast's eye or throat.
Peterson, back in the zone, snapped his Whip and pulled another hyena off its feet, stabbing it with a dagger he conjured from his crafter menu.
But just as things started to slow—
The ground trembled.
A deep growl rolled out from a cave at the back of the den.
Lili's head whipped toward it. Her eyes widened.
From the cave, a massive shape emerged. Taller than a horse, bulkier than a bull. Jet-black fur with glowing red lines tracing its body like veins. Six horns spiraled from its skull. It had four eyes, each glowing crimson.
Its tail was twice as long, ending in a spiked mace-like appendage.
[System Notification: New Threat Detected] [Rare-Class Demon Beast: Great Demon Hyena]
[New Quest: Defeat the Great Demon Hyena] Reward 1: +600 XP Reward 2: special random drop
Peterson took a step back, and swapped to his Greatsword. "That's the boss…"
Lili's voice was quiet. "That's not just a boss. That's a beast from nightmares."
The Great Demon Hyena roared, shaking trees and scattering dirt.
Then it charged.
Peterson barely raised his Greatsword in time to block the impact. The force sent him flying through a tree.
He groaned, rolling to his side. "Ouch! That hurt like I got hit by a train… Yep! definitely the boss."
Lili leapt in, slashing at the beast's legs. Sparks flew. Her blade couldn't penetrate its hide.
"Its fur's too thick! Aim for the eyes!" she shouted.
Peterson pushed up, switching to his Hammer. He ran forward, then he jumped high, and swung down.
Boom!
The hammer cracked the ground but only stunned the beast for a second. It whipped its tail and struck Peterson across the chest. His armor shattered.
He rolled and coughed blood. "Okay, that was a little personal."
Lili fired another bolt. It hit the boss in the left eye.
It shrieked.
"Got it! The eyes are weak!"
Peterson switched to Whip, circled around, and lashed out, wrapping the whip around the beast's right front leg.
"Lili! Now!"
She dashed forward, slicing into the exposed leg. Blood sprayed, thick and black.
The beast howled.
[System temporary assistance]
[Boss HP: 85%]
"We got this!" Peterson shouted.
The boss reared back and unleashed a sonic howl.
The shockwave sent both of them flying. Lili slammed into a tree. Peterson rolled into a boulder.
He coughed. "Okay, I'm not dying here today, I came here to get stronger and that's exactly what I'm gonna do… change of plans. Plan A was bad. Plan B is survive no matter what."
Lili groaned, pulling herself up. "Plan C is stab it until it stops moving."
The Great Demon hyena charged again.
Peterson transformed his weapon mid-run. Sword, then Hammer, then Axe, chaining attacks to keep it off-balance.
He jumped again, spun in the air, transforming into the Whip to grab the boss's neck.
Lili fired two bolts—one into its good eye. It roared again, bucking wildly.
Peterson held tight, yanking hard. "Now, Lili! Aim for the throat!"
She dashed in, her katana glowing.
She slashed upward in a brilliant arc. Sparks exploded. Blood followed.
The Great Demon Hyena stumbled back, howling.
[Boss HP: 60%]
Peterson dropped beside her, panting.
Lili glanced at him. "Are You okay?"
"No. But I look cool doing it, it's almost like a super hero landing."
They laughed briefly.
But the beast wasn't done.
Its body pulsed. Its Horns grew larger. And its Muscles expanded.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[Boss Enraged: Damage Increased by 10%]
Peterson whispered, "Oh come on."
The Great Demon Hyena roared and charged again—faster, stronger.
"Let's split up!" Lili shouted.
Peterson dodged left. Lili dashed right.
The boss smashed through the ground between them, turning and facing Peterson.
He raised his staff. The Veve glow intensified.
He tried to pull even more power. His entire body surged with the Veve's energy.
White lines danced across his body. His eyes went pure white.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[Warning, your body is at 85% to be possessed by the Midnight King, you will no longer be in control once possessed]
"Oh! This ain't good, I don't want the Midnight King to attack Lili, just in case their clan are not in alliance, Let's finish this… I don't want to take anymore risk."
Peterson thought
The Great Demon Hyena lunged at them with its mouth wide open.
To Be Continued…