"Mother-loving, son of a—" Adom ducked as fangs snapped shut where his throat had been a heartbeat earlier. "—dung beetle!"

For someone who had lived a couple lifetimes, his curse vocabulary remained... disappointingly tame at times. Something to work on, perhaps, though it was currently low on his priority list of skills to develop.

The Shadowmane lunged again, its wolf-like body moving with unnatural speed. Four glowing yellow eyes tracked his every movement, saliva dripping from jaws that could crush bone like kindling.

Adom's fingers twitched, instinctively forming the first sign of a [Flame Lance] spell. The mana rose within him, ready to be channeled into a devastating blast that would reduce the beast to ash.

He stopped himself.

That would be admitting defeat. The whole point of this exercise was to grow stronger without relying on magic. To build his physical foundation.

The Shadowmane sensed his hesitation and lunged forward, jaws wide.

Adom pivoted at the last possible second, the creature's teeth grazing his shoulder as he spun away. Pain flared where fangs tore through his tunic and scraped skin.

"You caught me at a bad time," Adom growled, backing up to create space. "I was just trying to eat lunch."

The remains of his meal lay scattered where he'd been sitting minutes earlier. He'd just finished hunting a pack of prismatic scorpions—nasty creatures with color-changing carapaces that made them nearly invisible in the right light. The fight had been exhausting but successful.

Then this thing had appeared from nowhere while he was trying to rest.

The Shadowmane circled him, muscles rippling beneath its midnight-black fur. Unlike normal wolves, its shoulders stood as high as Adom's chest, and a ridge of bone spikes ran along its spine. The creature moved with deliberate patience, waiting for Adom to make a mistake.

Zuni watched and chirped from his perch atop John, who stood motionless nearby. Adom had ordered the golem to protect the quillick, not intervene. This fight was his alone.

[Identify]

Shadowmane Alpha (High threat)

A predator that hunts by sensing fear. Capable of short-range shadow stepping.

"Of course you can teleport," Adom muttered. "Why wouldn't you?"

The Shadowmane's ear twitched. Then it vanished.

Adom threw himself forward on pure instinct, [Flow Prediction] slowing the world just so. Just enough for him to see it come. The creature materialized where he'd been standing, jaws clamping shut on empty air.

Adom rolled to his feet and charged before it could recover, driving a gauntleted fist toward its flank.

The Shadowmane spun, meeting his charge with teeth bared. Adom barely managed to redirect his punch, catching the creature's jaw instead of being caught in its maw.

WAM.

The impact reverberated up his arm as Fluid-enhanced metal connected with bone. The Shadowmane's head snapped sideways, but it recovered with terrifying speed, its front paw slashing out.

Claws like curved daggers tore through Adom's thigh.

He hissed through clenched teeth as blood immediately soaked his pant leg. The pain was electric, sharp and immediate. A healing potion would help, but the wounds were deep—this would take time to close.

The Shadowmane pressed its advantage, lunging again. Adom stepped inside its reach—a risky move, but the right one. As the creature's momentum carried it forward, Adom delivered an uppercut to its throat.

BAM.

The strike should have crushed its windpipe. Instead, the creature seemed to partially dissolve into shadow at the moment of impact, the blow passing through with reduced effect.

"That's cheating," Adom gasped as the Shadowmane reformed and whirled on him.

It answered with a growl that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

Adom circled left, keeping his guard high. Blood dripped steadily from his leg wound, leaving a red trail on the forest floor. Bad. If this fight dragged on, blood loss would become a serious problem.

The Shadowmane lunged again, this time feinting right before vanishing. Adom didn't fall for it—he'd noticed a slight shimmer in the air before each teleport. He turned, already bringing his fist up as the creature reappeared behind him.

His timing was perfect. WAM connected with the creature's snout as it materialized, sending it staggering backward with a yelp of surprise and pain.

Adom pressed forward, not giving it time to recover. A straight jab to the chest. A cross to the jaw. Each blow drove the creature back another step, each impact sending shockwaves through its body.

WAM. BAM. WAM.

The Shadowmane tried to teleport again, but Adom had its timing down now. As it began to dissolve, he tracked the shimmer in the air and was already moving to intercept. When it reformed, he was waiting with a devastating hook that caught it just below the ear.

BAM!

Bone cracked audibly. The creature stumbled, disoriented. One of its four eyes was swollen shut, and blood matted the fur around its muzzle.

But it wasn't finished. With a snarl that vibrated through Adom's chest, the Shadowmane launched itself at him in pure desperation. Teeth and claws slashed toward his face.

Adom met it head-on. As jaws gaped to tear out his throat, he drove his fist directly into its mouth.

WAM!

Teeth shattered. The creature howled in agony, thrashing its head to free itself from the brutal counter.

Adom didn't relent. His other fist hammered into the creature's exposed throat. Then its eye. Then the soft spot behind its jaw.

BAM. WAM. BAM.

Each impact drove the creature further into the ground. Its struggles weakened. Its growls turned to whimpers.

Still Adom continued, something primal taking over as he straddled the beast and rained blows upon its skull.

WAM. BAM. WAM. BAM.

Blood and brain matter spattered his face and chest. Bone gave way beneath his gauntlets. The creature's body twitched, then went still.

Adom delivered one final blow, driving his fist through what remained of the Shadowmane's skull into the ground beneath.

Silence fell over the clearing.

Adom remained there, straddling the corpse, chest heaving. Blood—both his and the creature's—covered him from head to toe. His leg wound throbbed painfully, though the bleeding had slowed thanks to Healing Factor. Various cuts and scratches covered his arms and torso.

He pushed himself to his feet, legs shaking with exhaustion. When he looked down at his hands, both gauntlets were slick with gore, the enchanted metal humming faintly as it processed the battle energy.

A notification appeared in his awareness:

[White Wyrm's Body has reached level 11!]

Your body now has a little more than twice the resilience of a normal human. Muscles, tendons, and skin are more resistant to tearing and puncture. Your bones are also less prone to breaking.

[Healing Factor has reached level 3!]

Your healing rate is now 6 times faster than a normal human's. Wounds close rapidly, broken bones mend in days rather than weeks. Your body optimizes itself during rest.

[Your Mana Pool has increased from 702 to 705!]

Your capacity for holding magical energy has expanded significantly. Recovery rate increased to 6.7 units per hour. Channels have strengthened, allowing for more powerful spell casting with less strain.

[Boxing Mastery has reached level 12!]

Your strikes now carry perfect weight transfer from foot to fist. Footwork has become instinctively efficient, allowing you to maintain optimal positioning.

[Flow Prediction has reached level 8! (Active - Full Passive)]

Your ability to predict movement has become nearly instinctive. You can often sense attacks from outside your field of vision and anticipate movements more efficiently.