Rising in the Beast World, Becoming the Apex Predator

Duel Under the Full Moon

"What about it if I want to challenge him?" Ryker took a step forward, cutting off the gate guards' laughter. His cold gaze locked onto them without a shred of doubt. "Is your prince going to be scared?"

"You've got a lot of nerve saying that!" the largest guard barked, his face tightening in offense. "Prince Kael scared of a mud rabbit like you? More like you'll be chopped into herder food before you even get a chance to beg for mercy!"

"Alright then, just let me in to prove it," Ryker replied casually, his tone so relaxed it sounded like he was just asking to visit a neighbor. "We'll see who gets chopped up tonight."

The second guard snorted roughly, lowering his spear point from Ryker's chest. "Huh, you're going to regret this, human. Don't come crying tears of blood when his claws tear your chest open."

With a dismissive wave of their hands, they finally let Ryker pass through the giant wooden gates. The moment his feet stepped onto the inner grounds of Silver Valley, a long, piercing howl carrying immense power echoed through the night sky.

Auuuuuuunngggg—!

The howl was instantly followed by the roaring cheers of hundreds of Silver Wolf tribe members packing the edges of the stone arena. Ryker immediately went on high alert, his eyes sweeping the surroundings as he felt the heavy atmosphere thick with bloodlust and the primal urge to fight.

From the crowd, a young wolf stepped out into the center of the arena. His appearance completely stole the show; he was massive, heavily muscled, and stood tall with thick golden fur that glistened under the light of the full moon. Every muscle on his body looked perfectly trained, and his front claws were longer and razor-sharp. He was the apex predator everyone was talking about.

[Ding! Activating Advanced Target Analysis...]

[Target Name:] Prince Kael of the Golden Wolf Kingdom.

[Status/Strength:] Mid-Tier Tribe (Peak Level).

[Advantages:] Attack speed is 180% above the wolf race average, backed by the racial blessing 'Steel-Crushing Claws' capable of piercing high-level physical defense.

[Weaknesses:] Heavily relies on the momentum of the first strike and has a blind spot in the lower-left rib area during jumping slash maneuvers.

[Recommended System Power Options to Counter Target:]

Option A: Activate 'Primal Iron Skin Shield' (Reduces physical damage by 80% for 15 minutes) — Cost: 150 Points.

Option B: Activate 'War God's Perception Eye' + '300% Reflex Boost' (Capable of reading attack trajectories at lightning speed and increasing body reaction time) — Cost: 250 Points.

'Option B,' Ryker commanded internally without hesitation. Against an enemy reliant on speed, the best way was to be faster and read every single movement precisely.

[Ding! Deducting 250 System Points. Activating 'War God's Perception Eye' and '300% Reflex Boost'...]

Instantly, Ryker's vision cleared up significantly. The surrounding pulses seemed to slow down, and he could feel even the slightest air current within the arena.

Kael now stood right in front of him, looking down at Ryker from his height of over two meters. "What kind of creature are you? How dare you walk into my territory and not greet me with respect?" he asked with a heavy, arrogant tone.

"I'm not here for small talk," Ryker replied, staring straight into Kael's golden eyes. "I'm here to take Cora home."

Kael paused for a moment, then a cruel smirk spread across his furry face. "Huh, so you're the one... the hairless male who dared to defile my future wife? You've got guts showing your disgusting face here."

Ryker matched his stare with a sharp, cold smile of his own. "By the beast law here, Cora is already my lawful wife. She chose to be my female without any force. So, you're the actual bastard trying to steal my female right now."

"Damn you! You're going to die the most miserable death this time!" Kael roared, the veins in his neck bulging from his mounting rage.

Shortly after, the atmosphere in the arena grew even hotter as the clan leaders, including Chief Garn, walked toward the stone seats of honor at the top of the stands. Their presence meant the fighting ring was officially prepared and traditionally sanctioned.

Kael stepped into the boundary of the circular stone arena. The moment his powerful body stood in the center of the ring, every member of the Silver Wolf and Golden Wolf tribes in attendance cheered in unison, shouting his name in admiration.

"Kael! Kael! Show them the strength of the Golden Wolf!"

"Shred that outsider!"

However, the moment Ryker stepped into the arena, the mood shifted drastically. The cheers turned into a chorus of jeers, mocking laughter, and insulting whistles. In their eyes, Ryker was just a fragile piece of meat delivering itself to slaughter.

Garn stood up from his stone chair, looking down at the two males. "In this sacred combat, there are no rules! No restrictions on weapons or techniques! Simply put, fight until death or until one yields!"

Boom!

The strike of a stone gong signaled the start of the match.

In the blink of an eye, Kael proved his reputation. His golden body blurred forward, leaving an afterimage where he had just stood. His speed was terrifying, exactly as Thrum and Brok had warned.

"Die, Mud Rabbit!" Kael screamed as he swung his right claw, which radiated sharp energy aimed directly at Ryker's throat.

Sreeet!

Thanks to the 'War God's Perception Eye,' Kael's lightning-fast movement looked like a butterfly flapping its wings to Ryker. With his 300% reflexes, Ryker only had to tilt his head back a few inches. Kael's deadly claw passed just a hair's breadth from his neck, cutting a few stray strands of Ryker's hair.

Kael was shocked his attack missed, but he immediately spun his body mid-air, unleashing a brutal succession of jumping slashes. The fight was incredibly fierce. The sound of clashing air and the scraping of Kael's claws against the stone floor of the arena kicked up sparks repeatedly.

Ryker kept dodging fluidly, pacing backward slowly to let Kael burn through his momentum, exactly matching the analysis of the weakness given by the system. The hundreds of spectators in the stands began holding their breath; they had expected the fight to end in a single second, but this outsider was somehow evading every single one of the prince's lethal strikes.

"Why do you only run, coward?!" Kael roared, growing frustrated as none of his attacks found their mark. He took a massive stance, leaping high into the air to prepare for a finishing overhead strike, exposing his lower-left ribs as his body floated.

'Now's the time,' Ryker thought.

As Kael came hurtling down with claws ready to crush steel, Ryker didn't dodge away this time. He stepped his right foot to the side, slipping past Kael's blind spot, and focused the entirety of his 200% physical strength into the tips of his right index and middle fingers, forming an incredibly dense, linear piercing strike.

Wusss!

Ryker's hand moved faster than the speed of sound, slicing through the gap in Kael's claws and driving straight toward the death point under Kael's left ribs—the exact spot where the prince's heart beat without the protection of thick muscle.

There was only a single millimeter left before Ryker's fingers pierced through and crushed Kael's heart. If he kept going, the Golden Wolf Prince would drop dead right then and there.

Yet, at that crucial split second, Ryker suddenly held back his strike. The tips of his fingers stopped just above Kael's golden fur, merely unleashing a massive shockwave of air pressure that sent Kael flying back to crash onto the stone floor, his face turning deathly pale.