Chapter 146: The Wilderness of Mana Beasts

The enormous creature emerged completely from the undergrowth, revealing a monstrous wolf whose shoulders stood nearly three meters above the ground.

Its dark-grey fur was streaked with patches of hardened skin, while two curved bony protrusions extended backward from its skull.

Thick claws dug into the earth beneath its paws, and saliva dripped from jaws large enough to crush a man’s torso.

Jet immediately recognized the animal’s original species, although there was little resemblance between this monster and the wolves that had inhabited Earth before the First Red Moon.

The wolf lowered its enormous head and released a threatening growl, apparently regarding Jet as an intruder in its territory.

Jet remained calm, examining its movements while resting his right hand on the Vorpal Blade strapped horizontally behind his waist.

This was his first encounter with a Mana Beast since advancing to 2-Star, and he was interested in discovering how much his improved attributes would affect his combat performance.

The creature suddenly lunged, crossing several meters with surprising speed. Its jaws opened wide as it attempted to seize Jet between its teeth, but he stepped sideways and drew the Vorpal Blade in one smooth movement.

The sword flashed across the wolf’s neck, cutting through its hardened hide before the creature could complete its attack. Blood sprayed across the vegetation as the enormous body crashed onto the trail, sliding several meters before coming to a stop.

Jet glanced at the fallen beast, then examined the sword in his hand. The entire exchange had lasted barely a second, and he hadn’t needed to activate any additional abilities.

His increased Agility had allowed him to avoid the attack comfortably, while his improved Strength had made the killing blow almost effortless.

"Not bad," Jet remarked, examining the clean edge of his weapon. "That’s a bigger difference than I expected."

He approached the carcass and crouched beside it. The creature belonged to the Lesser Rank, the lowest of the nine recognized Mana Beast ranks.

Even so, an ordinary human would have stood almost no chance against it without specialized weapons or assistance. Its enormous size, enhanced muscles, and hardened hide made it considerably more dangerous than any natural predator.

Mana Beasts had first appeared after the First Red Moon, when countless animals across Earth underwent a mysterious transformation known as Bloodline Regression.

Scientists and researchers had spent decades investigating the phenomenon, but its exact mechanism remained poorly understood. Ordinary animals had suddenly developed extraordinary physical characteristics, elemental abilities, and instincts that sometimes bore little resemblance to their original species.

Some wolves grew larger than buses. Certain reptiles developed armor capable of resisting conventional firearms, while birds acquired wingspans wide enough to overshadow entire buildings.

Even relatively harmless animals could become terrifying predators after undergoing Bloodline Regression.

Jet examined the wolf’s body before opening his Red Moon System inventory. He withdrew a harvesting knife and began collecting the most valuable materials, starting with its claws and several sections of hardened hide.

Although Lesser-Rank materials weren’t particularly expensive, they could still be sold to craftsmen and equipment manufacturers.

Afterward, he carefully extracted the Beast Core and a small quantity of Blood Essence.

The Beast Core was a hardened concentration of energy found within Mana Beasts, while Blood Essence contained the extraordinary vitality associated with their transformed bloodlines.

The latter was especially valuable for certain medicines, body-strengthening preparations, and specialized Awakener resources.

Jet stored everything inside his inventory, including the remaining useful materials.

He then returned the harvesting knife to its designated inventory slot, leaving only the Vorpal Blade equipped.

---

As the morning progressed, the wilderness became increasingly difficult to navigate.

Thick roots crossed the ground, enormous trees blocked sections of the old trail, and dense vegetation concealed numerous animal paths.

Jet occasionally encountered traces of Mana Beast activity, including claw marks gouged into tree trunks and enormous footprints embedded in patches of soft earth.

His second encounter occurred near a shallow stream.

Three oversized wild boars were feeding among the roots of a fallen tree, their bodies covered in coarse reddish fur. Each possessed tusks nearly as long as Jet’s arms, and their muscular shoulders were protected by thick plates of naturally hardened skin.

The moment they noticed him, the largest boar released an aggressive snort and charged.

Jet didn’t retreat. Instead, he stepped forward and activated the Asura Physique, allowing its familiar enhancement to spread through his body.

His muscles tightened as his already impressive physical attributes increased further, and he met the charging creature with a powerful diagonal slash.

The Vorpal Blade tore through its armored shoulder and continued across its neck, killing the boar before it could reach him.

The second beast immediately attacked from his left, but Jet pivoted and struck its skull with a single decisive blow. The third attempted to flee after witnessing its companions’ deaths, only for Jet to close the distance and finish it with another swing.

Three Lesser-Rank Mana Beasts lay dead within moments.

Jet exhaled and deactivated the additional reinforcement, satisfied with the result.

His improved Mana reserves made activating the Asura Physique considerably more comfortable, and the increased strength of his 2-Star body allowed him to dispatch weaker creatures without wasting energy on elaborate techniques.

He harvested their valuable materials and Blood Essence before storing everything in his inventory.

By the time he finished, Jet had begun appreciating another advantage of his current circumstances.

During his previous life, he had never possessed the strength to venture into wilderness territory alone.

Ordinary humans depended heavily on Awakeners for protection, and even traveling between settlements could become dangerous whenever Mana Beasts approached established roads.

Now, however, creatures that could slaughter an unprotected group of civilians were falling to a single strike from his sword.

---

The next opponent proved considerably more interesting.

Jet encountered it shortly after midday while passing through a rocky clearing surrounded by tall trees. At first, he mistook the enormous creature resting beside a boulder for another Lesser-Rank beast, but the moment it stood, he recognized his mistake.

It was a Greater-Rank Mana Beast.

The creature resembled an enormous black bear, standing almost four meters tall when it rose onto its hind legs.

Thick plates of dark stone covered its shoulders and forelimbs, while several jagged mineral formations protruded from its back. Its transformation had granted it an affinity for Earth Mana, allowing it to reinforce its body with additional layers of stone.

The bear released a thunderous roar before slamming its forelimbs into the ground.

Several jagged stone spikes erupted from the earth.

Jet reacted immediately, leaping backward as the first spike pierced the spot where he’d been standing. Two more followed, forcing him to change direction before landing several meters away.

"So you’ve got an elemental ability," Jet observed, tightening his grip on the Vorpal Blade.

The bear charged before he could examine it further, its massive paws tearing through the ground. Jet moved sideways and struck its shoulder, but the blade collided with reinforced stone, producing a shower of sparks.

The impact cracked the armor without penetrating deeply.

Jet immediately understood the difference between this opponent and the Lesser-Rank creatures he’d encountered earlier.

The bear possessed greater physical strength, considerably tougher defenses, and an elemental ability that allowed it to threaten enemies beyond the reach of its claws.

However, its movements remained slower than his.

When the bear attempted another sweeping attack, Jet ducked beneath its forelimb and moved toward its exposed flank.

Mana circulated through his arm as he delivered a powerful second strike, shattering the damaged stone armor and cutting deeply into the creature’s body.

The bear staggered and roared in pain.

Jet followed with a third strike before it could recover, driving the Vorpal Blade through its neck.

The enormous creature collapsed, shaking the surrounding ground.

Jet withdrew his weapon and stepped away from the carcass, examining the damage caused by their brief confrontation.

The battle had required three proper attacks rather than one, and the bear’s elemental ability had forced him to remain attentive throughout the exchange.

Nevertheless, he hadn’t been seriously threatened.

His recent advancement was proving its worth.

"Greater Rank, huh?" Jet remarked, looking at the fallen bear. "Your defenses were impressive, at least."

He spent considerably longer harvesting this creature. Its stone-reinforced hide and claws were valuable materials, while its Blood Essence contained a stronger concentration of energy than anything he’d collected from the Lesser-Rank beasts.

After extracting the Beast Core, he stored the materials in his inventory and resumed his journey.

---

During the afternoon, Jet encountered two more Greater-Rank Mana Beasts, both of which possessed abilities associated with their transformed bloodlines.

One was an enormous serpent capable of releasing bursts of compressed air from its mouth, while the other was a heavily armored stag whose antlers crackled with electrical energy.

Neither survived more than three exchanges.

Against the serpent, Jet avoided its initial attack before closing the distance and severing its head with two consecutive strikes.

The stag proved faster, forcing him to adjust his timing before delivering a powerful blow that shattered its reinforced antlers and killed it.

These encounters gradually helped him become accustomed to his improved physical capabilities. His movements were becoming more natural, and he no longer needed to consciously compensate for the additional strength behind every attack.

He also discovered that his expanded Mana reserves allowed him to maintain the Asura Physique longer without experiencing the exhaustion he’d previously associated with extended combat.

By late afternoon, his inventory contained a respectable collection of Beast Cores, Blood Essence, hides, claws, and other materials.

Jet was pleased with the results.

Although he had entered the wilderness primarily to obtain the Fire-aligned Origin Treasure, the journey was already providing valuable combat experience and resources.

However, the environment began changing as he approached the volcanic mountains.

The surrounding vegetation became increasingly sparse, and patches of dark volcanic stone appeared among the trees. The air felt noticeably warmer, while occasional gusts carried an unpleasant sulfurous smell from somewhere farther ahead.

Jet followed a narrow ridge overlooking a rocky valley, intending to find a suitable place to rest before continuing toward the mountain.

Then he noticed something strange.

Several enormous trees had been uprooted along the valley floor, their trunks scattered across the ground.

Deep claw marks covered nearby boulders, and a section of the rocky slope appeared to have been torn apart by tremendous physical force.

Jet stopped and examined the destruction.

Whatever had caused this wasn’t a Lesser-Rank creature.

He approached the nearest damaged boulder and placed his hand against the deep grooves carved into its surface. Each mark was wider than his forearm, and the surrounding stone had been fractured by the force of the impact.

His expression gradually became serious.

The Greater-Rank Mana Beasts he’d encountered earlier were powerful, but none possessed enough strength to cause destruction on this scale.

Then Jet noticed an enormous footprint embedded in the volcanic soil.

He crouched beside it, comparing its size with his own body.

The footprint was nearly as long as he was tall.

Jet slowly raised his head toward the distant mountain, where a low, unfamiliar roar suddenly echoed across the valley.

The sound was powerful enough to send several flocks of birds fleeing from the surrounding forest.

Jet remained motionless, listening as the roar gradually faded.

It appeared the Mana Beasts inhabiting this volcanic region were considerably more dangerous than he’d anticipated.