Chapter 3 -3-Fight with Rhino

"Monster Essence? What's that?" I muttered, puzzled by the term. I glanced at the other rewards listed and then mentally thought about my inventory. Suddenly, a screen appeared in front of me, displaying two options in a square box. The first one was labeled "Cores," and I realized it must refer to monster cores. Curious, I clicked on the "Cores" box, and a new screen appeared with "Gerbil's Core" written in a square box. Without hesitation, I clicked on it, and a mini-portal materialized before me. It reminded me of the portals from movies. Carefully, I reached out and placed my hand on it, retrieving a small, bloody-colored crystal. "This must be that little guy's core," I muttered, examining the crystal. It was red and about the size of my finger. After a brief moment of examining, I returned the crystal to the mini-portal and closed the inventory screen. Back on the main inventory page, I noticed the healing portion listed. "A healing potion, exactly what I need right now. With this, I can be sure that my wound will heal quickly." I remarked to myself. I was about to click on the healing portion square box when suddenly, a loud roar echoed from behind me. Startled, I whipped around to see a massive figure looming behind me, emitting steam. My eyes widened in disbelief. "Is that... guy can even be called a boar?" I saw the creature, similar to a boar but little bigger than boar's size with two imposing horns, I muttered,"It looks more like a rhino but with some features of a boar." While I spoke, the creature roared again and began charging at me. Damn it... Panic surged through me, and I turned, darting into the maze of hedges, desperate to escape. With each turn, I could hear the heavy footsteps of the rhino behind me, closing in. I dared a glance back, only to see it mere inches away. "Ohh, no-Ahhhhh!" I began to shout, but before I could finish, the rhino slammed into my back with immense force, hurling me like a football several meters away. Pain seared through my body as I hit the ground, feeling as if my spine had shattered. "Shit! My back!!!" I painfully touched my back with one hand, while the other steadied me on the ground as I attempted to rise. Just as I was about to stand, a wave of excruciating spinal pain shot through me, and I cried out, "Ahh!" collapsing back to the ground. "Shit! It felt like I have been run down by a truck." I groaned in agony. It felt like every movement sent shards of pain coursing through my body. I grimaced, muttering, "Looks like both my spine and legs are way too badly injured or might be broken because of this bastard." I glanced over at the rhino, its gaze still fixed on me as though I were merely a toy for its amusement. "But I'm not going to give up that easily," I muttered defiantly, determination flaring within me. With renewed resolve, I braced myself and attempted to stand once more. But every attempt was meet with futile; I was paralyzed by the impact. Bruised and battered, I lay there, while the rhino still staring right at my eyes. But, then... The boar suddenly dashed towards me, its massive form bearing down as I lay battered and helpless, still struggling to stand. As it inched closer, panic surged through me. 'Fuck, this guy is going to kill me with his horns if I don't do anything,' I desperately tried to analyze my situation, but it was too late. In a matter of seconds, the boar was upon me. With no way to escape, I instinctively reached out and caught both of his horns just before they could pierce my stomach. Roar! The beast roared and swung its head violently, making it difficult for me to hold on. Despite my best efforts, the boar's strength was too much. Still, I managed to hold it off for a minute untill it did something unexpected. Recognizing that its resistance was futile. Unexpectedly, it kicked me in the leg, sending a fresh wave of pain through my body. This guy... I will kill him for sure. My rage took over. I let go of one horn, desperately searching for anything to use as a weapon. My hand found a pointy, sharp triangle-shaped stone. Without thinking, I stabbed the stone into the boar's right eye. It roared in pain, blood pouring from its right eye onto my chest, but I didn't stop. "Kekekeke, how does it feel bastard?" I stabbed twice more in the same place until the creature kicked my leg again. "Ahh, shit!" The force of the kick made my left hand, which was holding onto its horn, slip. The rhino-boar freed itself from my grasp and ran away, leaving a trail of blood drops on the ground. Panting heavily, I lay there, my body screaming in pain. The bloodied stone slipped from my hand, landing beside me. The trail of blood led into the distance, marking the rhino-boar's path. Despite the agony, a sense of grim satisfaction washed over me. "So, it's finally over." I had survived, at least for now. As I lay on the ground, pain wracking my body, my thoughts drifted back to the healing potion I had seen in my inventory. Healing portion. That thing can only save me from this situation. "Huhh, I... Hope... It really... Works or I... Will be... Dead..." Desperation clawed at me, and I mentally focused on the potion, willing the system to respond. Miraculously, a screen appeared in front of me, displaying a small box icon with the words "Healing Potion" written on it in very small letters. With what little strength I had left, I reached out and clicked on the box. Immediately, a bottle materialized in my hand, filled with a glowing, vibrant liquid. Without wasting a second, I uncorked it and drank it down, feeling the warmth spread through my body. The empty bottle slipped from my fingers, and I tossed it in a random direction, not caring where it landed. Exhausted, I collapsed back onto the ground, waiting for the potion to work its magic. For a few agonizing minutes, the pain persisted, but gradually, I felt a soothing sensation spreading through me. After about ten minutes, the pain began to subside. It's working... I could feel my injuries healing, my broken spinal cord knitting itself back together, my bruises fading, and my strength returning. It was as if the potion was repairing me from the inside out, mending every wound and fracture. Finally, I managed to sit up, testing my newly healed body. The excruciating pain was gone, replaced by a lingering soreness that was rapidly fading. Carefully, I got to my feet, surprised at how steady I felt. I stretched cautiously, marveling at the absence of pain. As I took in my surroundings, a sudden message appeared in front of me, startling me: (You have defeated [Savant Rhino].) (Defeat lesser-ranked monsters 2/12.) (Ding, congratulations host! Monster Core (Lesser) has been added to your inventory!) (Ding, congratulations host! Healing portion (Bronze) has been added to your inventory!) (Ding, congratulations host! Monster Essence of Rhino has been added to your Character Profile!) 'So, he died.' I expected this outcome. It was bound to happen. I had stabbed his right eye three times, and with no way to stop the bleeding, he was bound to die. I have to admit, though, his will to survive was impressive. I thought he would die within five minutes, considering he was running and losing a lot of blood. But he survived for 11 minutes. Incredible, but... I can imagine... His death must have been very painful. After thinking about the rhino for a few seconds, I opened my character interface. Michael ???? Race: Human. Current rank: Normal Progression to Bronze rank: 2% (2/100 essences). Attributes:- [Power]: Normal. [Speed]: Normal. [Spirit]: Normal. [Recovery]: Normal. Free attributes points:- (0/1) Human Racial Abilities... As I scanned my character interface, a particular detail caught my eye. Instead of showing 0/100 Essences, it now displayed 2/100 Essences. Surprised by the change, I decided to investigate further. Curious, I clicked on the Essences section, and an information window appeared: **Number of monster essences needed to ascend to the next rank.** I touched my chin thoughtfully and muttered, "So, it's like a requirement needed to progress to some kind of level-up. Will I become stronger with each level-up?" I nodded to myself, considering the possibilities. 'Hmm, that might be the case. Usually, in video games, a character becomes stronger with each level-up.' So basically, every time I kill a monster, I'll get a Monster essence that will help me level up. Now that I think about it, that would be so awesome. As I pondered this, my gaze fell on the [Spirit] icon. Not knowing what it meant, I decided to click on it. Immediately, another info window appeared: **[Spirit]: A measure of your willpower and resilience. Increasing your Spirit attribute enhances your resistance to willpower attacks and improves your mental strength.** Reading this, I nodded in understanding. "So, Spirit affects my willpower. That's good to know." As I processed this new information, I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. If I could level up and grow stronger, I could handle tougher monsters and survive longer in this dangerous world. The thought of becoming more powerful, of mastering new abilities, filled me with a renewed sense of purpose. Closing the info windows, I felt a newfound determination. "Alright, let's see what other surprises this system has in store for me," I muttered, ready to explore more of my character interface and uncover its secrets.