Under the tree, Dante switched into survival mode. His presence and breathing instinctively hid themselves after the lion's roar.
Even though it had no idea he was there, the slightest attack on its cub would push its senses to the limit.
Yet Dante remained in his position, completely motionless and steady like Mount Tai, like a cobra ready to strike.
The bow was drawn to its limit, the diamond-tipped arrow aimed directly at the beast's left eye.
As soon as it devoured the spotted goat, the poison would quickly take effect.
Dante waited: one hour, two hours, three, three and a half — and that was when the lion took its first bite.
It pushed its front paw toward the cub before starting to devour; to its eyes, the goat seemed like a mere snack, eaten in just a few bites.
After about five bites to the stomach—
Zuum!
Something tore through the sky and air, sending a terrible sensation through the lion, which quickly turned to see.
It was then that an arrow flew toward it, piercing its eye.
A searing pain ran through its body, mixed with rage. Its paw slammed on the arrow instinctively, trying to pull it out, but then its body froze completely...
Dante, watching from the trees, fled desperately the moment he shot the arrow; staying even one second behind would have meant death.
His feet moved through the treetops at a terrifying pace, his body faltering with every step.
1… 2… 3…
Before the fourth second, a roar tore through the air — much deeper than the previous one. It was visceral, conveying the lion's feelings: anger, shame, confusion.
Its roars continued to rip through the air as it advanced toward the source of the arrow.
Dante, far ahead, noticed trees behind him being broken and toppled rapidly. Whatever was causing it seemed to be approaching faster and faster.
— What to do now? — Dante's mind raced.
Perhaps his action had been reckless. He should have set a trap to hold it longer.
As he fled in thought, the lion seemed to be closing in.
— Tsk — a click of irritation escaped Dante's lips as he began grabbing cloth bags from his dimensional bag and throwing them to the ground.
As they fell, blood spread — the same blood from the snake he intended to use to poison the lion. If it lingered in the scent, perhaps he could mislead it. Perhaps…
The lion, however, charged furiously, but when it caught the same scent from the goat's stomach, it froze for a moment.
Rage began to burn through its body, and its fur, once slightly golden, ignited in red, increasing its strength to three stars — far stronger than expected.
Dante didn't know, but he had chosen the worst possible opponent.
This was not a simple Golden-Tusked Lion, but a hybrid-blooded beast. Its veins carried both the blood of the Golden-Tusked Lion and the Crimson Mountain Lion.
This beast wasn't born with golden tusks alone.
On top of that, it possessed the Blood Lion's Fury, a skill that increases its strength by two stages.
And because of its mixed blood, its natural power was already higher than normal, making it comparable to a mid-level spiritual beast, or pseudo-mid-level.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Now its charge destroyed everything. Desperation overtook Dante, who fled uncontrollably.
He chose the north; the wind was blowing that way, which could help mask his scent, though barely.
Moreover, as expected, this lion possessed an infra-spiritual roar — capable of inducing fear, anxiety, and even slight organ tremors, making escape even more difficult.
Dante's thoughts raced.
How to disperse this monster? How to fight and kill it? And what kind of skill was this?
From what he had seen, the skill should belong only to the Golden-Tusked Lion, but now it seemed to have two, making everything utterly ridiculous in his eyes.
Suddenly, an aura emerged from the north, as powerful as the lion's.
A huge Thunder Rhinoceros appeared, coming from a group of beasts living in the northern zone of the forest. They had a king who had reached the Second Level, and they were considered strong.
Apparently, this border sentinel didn't like the lion approaching and came to teach it a lesson.
Dante felt extremely happy and relieved — but only for a second.
When the two beasts collided, the impact was devastating.
Dante's body was thrown among shattered trees, leaving him at the mercy of their battle.