Chapter 10: The Dragon’s Gaze and a Fateful Encounter

Meanwhile, the monster relentlessly pursued the black cat, crashing through the forest and toppling rows of trees in its wake.

The black cat weaved left and right, daring not to make contact with the beast. Its small, slender body was as fragile as paper; a single strike from the monster would spell its demise.

After more than ten minutes of continuous evasion, Votila noticed a grave problem: the monster’s movements grew increasingly practiced, its attacks more fluid. Alarmingly, the distance between them was steadily closing.

‘Was this creature constantly familiarizing itself with its power?’ Votila wondered. ‘It had seemed utterly mindless before. Could it be due to its bloodline?’

Whether the monster possessed the capacity for learning, Votila did not know. What he did know was that he could not shake off this relentless pursuer. Not even the numerous obstacles in the woods could obscure its vision, nor could the black cat’s agile form, capable of darting effortlessly through the treetops, truly escape.

Votila sensed that the monster had locked onto him through some unknown means. No matter where he hid, the beast would find him—a development Votila had not anticipated.

However, Votila had never intended for a simple escape from the very beginning.

As the monster’s massive claw swiped at Votila once more, he sprang into the air, narrowly dodging the attack. He landed gracefully on a tree trunk, his small body rebounding lightly before he launched himself airborne again.

The monster’s colossal claw slammed into an ancient tree, one so thick it would take a man’s embrace to circle it. With a resounding crack, the tree snapped in two.

Votila, having used the tree trunk for leverage, did not leap away from the monster. Instead, he lunged back towards it, his sharp claws instantly extending. They flashed with an invisible, chilling glint, tearing towards the monster.

This was ‘Shred,’ a claw attack skill born from beastly instinct, not dragonkind, which Votila had recalled as the only combat technique he could currently employ since his rebirth.

After a month of secret modifications (the process of which was indescribable), this skill could now be utilized even with his seemingly ordinary black cat body, its power not inferior to that of some low-tier magical beasts.

Two streaks of keen, icy light, like shooting stars, flickered behind the monster’s head, eliciting a crackle and a shower of sparks.

After delivering the blow, Votila did not linger. He executed several rapid dodges, vanishing from the monster’s sight.

The monster paused, seemingly sensing it had been struck. It numbly touched its head, then blankly realized the black cat had once again vanished from its vision. It roared in a fit of rage, then turned and charged in the direction Votila had fled.

From a certain treetop, Votila licked his slightly tingling paws. He then gently scraped his sharp claws against the hard bark of the tree ahead, shedding several worn, flattened old nails to reveal even sharper new ones.

Watching the monster pursuing him again, Votila’s eyes narrowed slightly.

‘My previous attack failed to breach the monster’s defenses,’ he mused. ‘This creature, after going berserk, not only gained increased attack and speed but also augmented its defense. Its coarse fur has become as hard as steel.’

‘This is troublesome. If I can’t break through its defense, how can I deal with this monster? If only I had a weapon that could penetrate its hide.’

‘Wait a moment? No matter how tough the monster’s fur becomes, its eyes surely can’t be fully protected, can they?! Therefore, the monster’s eyes must be its weakness. If I attack its eyes directly, I might be able to inflict damage.’

With this thought, the black cat began to sprint swiftly along the branches. With a few leaps, he positioned himself above the monster. Following a soft meow, Votila launched himself downward, his two sharp claws intersecting in a cross shape as they flashed across the monster’s small eyes from above.

With a tearing sound and a burst of sparks, Votila’s sharp claws also brought forth a gush of blood.

Both claws struck true, accurately hitting the monster’s eyeballs!

The attacked monster halted, seemingly perplexed as to what had sliced its eyes. It raised a hand and touched the injured eye, only to feel a gurgling, empty socket where blood oozed out.

One of the monster’s eyeballs had burst directly due to the surge in blood pressure from its berserk state.

‘As expected, it’s just a defective product.’

Landing lightly, the black cat stood steadily before the monster. Staring at the monster’s sole remaining eye, his golden, molten gaze deepened infinitely.

‘Dragon’s Gaze! To scrutinize all things with a dragon’s soul, to strip away appearances and observe their essence.’

‘Eh? I can’t see through it? I actually can’t see through it!’ Votila thought, surprised. ‘Does this fellow have no soul?’

The black cat was somewhat astonished, then he relaxed. Through the Dragon’s Eye, he saw only chaos and turbidity. This creature indeed possessed no reason.

In just a moment, the black cat immediately closed his somewhat sore eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils seemed slightly unfocused. This was the first time the black cat felt such an immense drain on his energy from using this technique. His head even felt a bit dizzy afterward, and it was best not to use it again for a while.

The monster’s single remaining eye fixated on Votila, as if wondering what this tiny creature, smaller than its palm, had done to it.

Shaking his dizzy head, the black cat crouched forward, his claw tips digging deep into the soil. His entire body arched, ready to spring into action at any moment.

Just then, a girl’s shout came from nearby. The black cat froze in shock.

‘Why are there humans here?’ he wondered. ‘That voice, is it Mulee Hua? Why is that girl here?’

“Rinna… what is this…?” Mulee Hua, who had tracked them, stared wide-eyed at the black cat and the red-furred monster locked in a standoff, utterly astonished.

Roar!

The monster suddenly moved. Its attack was without preamble or pattern, yet its target abandoned the black cat. It surged towards Mulee Hua like a collapsing mountain.

“Ah…!” Mulee Hua, startled by the monster’s sudden assault, quickly retreated.

‘That girl! She’s only causing trouble!’

The black cat shot out, his Shredding Claws rising in response, aiming directly for the monster’s other eye.

Seemingly sensing the black cat’s renewed attempt to attack its eye, the monster no longer allowed Votila to assault it freely.

It raised one claw to cover its eye, while the other instinctively swiped at the black cat.

The black cat’s offensive ceased abruptly. Its trajectory shifted, and it scampered back across the monster’s body, leaping directly onto its head.

With a ‘thump,’ the surrounding trees suffered again, snapped in half by the monster’s horizontal swipe. The trunks groaned as they fell, conveniently blocking Mulee Hua’s path and allowing her to narrowly evade the monster’s attack.

‘So, it’s not entirely mindless after all?’ Votila mused. ‘It’s already starting to realize it needs to protect its vital points.’ The black cat sat upright on the monster’s head, like an emperor enthroned.

“Rinna…” Mulee Hua stepped forward, her gaze fixed as she called out again.

From his elevated position, Votila suddenly turned, casting a cold glance at Mulee Hua.

‘Human, do not attempt to challenge my limits.’

His brilliant golden eyes, as if subtly ignited by lingering embers, glimmered with starlight.

Mulee Hua froze. She felt a bone-chilling cold spread throughout her body. The steps she had intended to take could not be lifted.

What kind of gaze was that? It was like that of a sovereign on a supreme throne—cold, ruthless, arrogant, and ferocious.

“Ri… Rinna…” The girl spoke with difficulty. Now, even a simple movement placed immense pressure on her.

Votila’s eyes narrowed slightly, the golden embers within them burning brighter.

An invisible shockwave swept towards Mulee Hua. The girl could no longer bear it. Her body trembled, and she lowered her head, averting her gaze from Votila’s.

‘Retreat, human!’

This was the deterrence of the Dragon’s Eye.

In an instant, the monster seemed to feel something on its head and raised a paw to swat at it.

Votila turned his head, no longer looking at Mulee Hua. He deftly slid off the monster, evading the strike.

Striding boldly with a cat-like gait, the black cat stood before the monster and roared at it: “Meow!!” Once again, he attempted to lure it deeper into the forest.

Votila’s provocation was highly effective. The monster indeed stopped attacking Mulee Hua and chased after Votila, crashing headlong into the forest.

“Ri… Rinna…” Mulee Hua’s legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, watching helplessly as the black cat and the red-furred monster disappeared into the distance.

“This is… the second time… there cannot be a next time.”

The girl raised her hand and retrieved a grayish-white, translucent chip from her sleeve. It was a finely crafted crystal scroll, its surface engraved with a floral-leaf pattern.

She gently pressed the chip to her forehead, and the small bells on her fair wrist chimed with a clear sound.