Monster Integration

The Red Horn Ratman attacked, and its attack was powerful and past, not to mention deadly.

Those long sharp nails aren't for the show; they will tear through me like butter if they were able to touch me.

I cannot let that happen.

So, I moved and the smile on the Ratman's face turned into a grin when it saw I wouldn't be able to dodge its attack with my speed.

The grin remained on it for a moment more, till its nails were inches away from me, when my speed increased suddenly. 

I dodged the attack before jumping next to the red tile.

Rip!

It was still getting hit, not by its claws, but with its sharp tail. That had given me a cut across my thigh.

It followed me, but I had already leaped at another tile, and it came from behind. The bastard is powerful and shows the advantage of its big body by effortlessly following me.

I had to use the advantages my small body gives me, and it is why, I am leaping into the blocks. 

I didn't stay on any block for more than a moment; I didn't even walk. I would land with bended knees and would use them to spring to the other block.

It also helps that I am aware of the four patterns, which gives me freedom and spontaneity. I am sure it knows at least three, but currently, it is following me on my own.

Each tile I cross, I am getting closer and closer to my destination. 

In less than a minute, I would reach it, but it won't be easy since it is chasing me like a man, and I am giving up on a lot of things.

Till now, I have come across three things, which I have not picked up. The Ratman chasing me did it had huge pockets. 

It didn't have a problem in keeping those things.

"I wonder how you will taste human. I will catch you, in the next few seconds and eat you raw, which is kind regret if you ask me,"

"I am not a Grimm who would eat a human like you raw, while some like it, I don't. I like my humans roasted with special herbs of my tribe. They make you taste delicious," he said.

I didn't focus on its chats; I know it is a way of it to distract me and many would be distracted, but I have fought and killed more Grimms, that it had, and such tactics are useless against me.

It is not like they don't affect me; they did very much, but I have my emotions in my control.

It started to chat again, speaking vividly about the spices it would use and the roasting technique, he liked to use the most.

Even slurping its spit. 

"Idiot, if you use the ageok roasting; you will end up burning half of the spices," I said suddenly, surprising it.

"You know about cooking?" it asked and this time, I had grinned. "More than you could imagine," I said and spun in the air, catching the stone spear floating on the tile.

Thud!

I landed, and it stopped in front of me and looked at me with mirth.

"You think, that spear will help you?" it asked with a laugh. "It will kill you," I said and attacked.

The laugh disappeared from its face; as the speed, I had moved and power I had attacked with was even greater than I had shown before.

Of course, I had not revealed my power, just as I had led the Grimm here, to the place where this spear was. There were a couple of weapons, but all were unsuitable against the Grimm.

The dagger, ax, hammer, and morningstar; all were not long enough that reach the Grimm's head or decapitate its huge head.

The spear is long, and its blade covers a third of its length. It is the perfect weapon to deal with Ratman.

The Ratman seemed to release that too and instead of coming at me, it had retreated.

"Hehe, it's no use little rat," I said and attacked.

It is a close and if it doesn't defend itself; it will hit its stomach. So, consciously or unconsciously, it brought its nails up in defense.

Rip!

The spear blade cut through them like butter and for the first time, true fear appeared on the face of the Grimm.

It begins to retreat, earnestly, using everything it has, but it is much faster than before, seeing it has been using everything it has to catch me.

It is such an idiot; it should focus on finishing crossing first, instead of targeting natives, but habits die hard. The moment it read, it could kill inside, it wanted to kill.

Slice!

My spear, gave a cut on its back, making it hiss in pain, but that was not enough to stop it.

I attacked again and this time; I had a completely different target in mind.

Slice!

Once again, my sword sliced through it and this time, it was its tail, which I had let hit me. I had cut it clean, and it screamed for a second and continued running without stopping.

I didn't follow and instead, threw a spear at it.

It is a risky move, but seeing we are on the same tile with only four meters distance between us; it is worth the risk.

I threw it with everything I had and it reached where I wanted to, without the aid of formation and method.

The Ratman sensed and turned, but not enough to change the target of the spear which began to enter inside.

Puch!

A second later, it was all over; the black spear had entered inside completely. Leaving only the palm sized grip out.

I looked at it for a moment, before turning and moving toward the other side at full speed. I didn't care about the things it swiped; I wanted to reach the other side as soon as possible.

There are prizes there and the sooner I reach them, the greater freedom I will have to choose them.

I could feel the other Grimms looking at me, but not a single one had come at me. More than half of them, walking cautiously on the tiles.

They are more worried about their safety than about killing me.

They have suffered and two have even been killed. Three, if I count the Ratman. More will die; there is a distance to be crossed and danger to avoid, which not all of them might be able to do.

You see, the closer one reaches the boundary, the more dangerous these tiles would become.

"Ahhh!"

I had just thought that when one Grimm, who had reached quite close to the boundary, screamed.

Needles, sharp long needles with red substance covering them, had pierced the Grimm from all sides, turning the bastard into the porcupine.

It is squirming like mad, trying to remove the needles, but helping them reach deeper into it.

I looked at it for a moment, before focusing ahead, as I had reached the other side.

Thud!

I landed and looked at the Grimm on the other side. It had reached here twelve seconds before me and seeing me landing. It swiped one of the twelve prizes floating on the bronze stands.