X-Rank Hunter

At last, the apes released all the barrage of attacks that would bring Jim's existence into oblivion!

However,

Just as all the barrage of attacks were about to reach Jim's body,

"I welcome thee all the lives around me..." Jim muttered silently in boredom, his eyes filled with indifference and his voice was as if reluctant to leave from his mouth!

But despite the low sound of his voice, the apes could hear and understand it as clear as crystal.

Starting from the roots entangling him to the branches that were about to pierce Jim up to the trees of where the branches came from, to the leaf blades and bullet seed, up to the grasses, plants, animals, and insects around Jim and all the life within fifty meters radius, all of their life had slowly left them and all excitedly went to Jim.

It was as if a red steam was being absorbed by him, sucking every life in his wake!

Be it trees or insects or animals or grasses or birds or beasts, everything with life around the said radius was absorbed until they became either dried corpses or wilted plants and trees.

The apes tried to escape, but just after the very moment they left their turf, they had all been shot by the blood of Jim making them immediately turn into dried corpses. Then the small ball of blood that was formed above their corpses had flung towards Jim and was immediately absorbed by him.

Was it really a power of life? Or death?

Every time Jim became like this, the thing that happened just now, was always likely to happen, leaving no witness at all. No living beings were able to survive except from one beast, and that was the boss gorilla!

Or maybe it didn't survive. Jim let it survive!

Jim thought that he had never killed even a single beast once in his life. But if he could just find out what he was doing right now and the other things he had done in the past whenever he became like this, even he himself won't be able to count how many hundreds or thousands of lives he had already claimed!

Or maybe we could say that all those lives willingly betrayed their owners and all excitedly went to Jim.

Just after Jim absorbed all the life around him, the gorilla that was rushing towards his location, arrived. But when it arrived, all it saw was lifeless scenery. It was either withered trees and plants or a dried corpses of animals and beasts.

When it saw all its minions had been turned into a dried corpse, the gorilla was immediately enraged.

"What have you done you damn brat!!!" The gorilla cried out.

However, just after the moment Jim turned around and shifted his bored gaze towards it, the gorilla staggered backward and fell on the ground as fear completely flooded in its heart.

It immediately remembered the very day it got its scar and recalled clearly the brat in front of it of whom he was the one who caused its scar.

Before then, before it got its scar, it was still the strongest and the king of the entire mountain range. Its strength was comparable to S-ranks or even above to some S-rank hunters. It was reigning over the mountains and woods as all the beast was so afraid and bowed down onto it.

Until one day, five years ago, it met this brat walking alone in the deepest part of the woods where it was strolling around.

The brat was covered in disheartenment and there was no emotion emitting from his eyes.

It was so happy meeting him since the human child was always the best and the tastiest food it could ever taste around the world. But then this happened...

****

Five years ago before the gorilla got its scar...

"Father... Where are you... Why did you leave us."

Jim was walking alone deep inside the forest shrouded by darkness. As he walked, he was muttering about his father that seemed to be the one who he was looking for.

He was just 5 years old at that time and it appeared that he was not in himself anymore.

Darkness wanted to embrace the surroundings but the moonlight obstructed its plan. However, the dark clouds helped the darkness as the dark reigned through the night.

The vines and the tall grasses were covering the surroundings together with the trees that towered each other. Beasts were everywhere, but even then, no one dared to approach this child who was walking alone deep inside the forest.

Even the plants and trees were giving way onto his path.

Not until the gorilla found this child who was walking alone.

But at that moment, when the happy gorilla came closer to Jim, only then it realized that something was wrong with this child. Its guts were telling it to run away but its pride as the king of the forest prevented it from doing so.

As the child walked slowly near the gorilla, it could feel that its fur all over its body was standing abnormally.

It was then it asked the brat, "Who are you?!"

But the child just simply stared at the gorilla for a good while and then asked it as well,

"Did you see my father?"

His voice was calm but at the same time, scary. That calmness made the gorilla's body shiver. A human brat walking alone deep inside the forest and didn't fear a beast like it? And was completely calm as if it was just an insignificant being in front of this child?

If they compare their size, the gorilla could squeeze this brat through its huge palm as if the brat was just a banana.

The gorilla gritted its teeth in sheer frustration and asked again,

"Who are you? Don't you know this is my territory and I am now going to eat you?"

But the brat simply asked the gorilla the same question once again while the tone of his voice remained the same as well,

"Did you see my father?"

"?"

Damn this brat! I don't even know you, how can I possibly know your father!

Do you know that it was already strange enough that you are walking alone in this forest? How can you have the guts of asking a question to me, the king of the forest!

Are you really that courageous? Or are you blind? Can't you see that I am a beast and you are just an insignificant human!

And stop being so calm as if I am nothing to you! I'm the king of this forest you hear me!

Of course, it was all just a thought as it couldn't voice it out so that it could hide its fear.

Licking out its tongue, the gorilla then mustered all its confidence to put on its greatest act as it said, "I ate him whole hehe so no need to...?"

It was yet to finish what it was about to say when the vibes that have given off by the child suddenly changed.

The surrounding plants, grasses, and trees started to wilt slowly while the other living things around them, started to become dried corpses. The wild animals and beasts tried to struggle but to no avail.

Since the gorilla was really strong in itself and its willpower was strong as well, its life that it had, didn't betray it right away.

However...

Just while the gorilla was in a panic looking around it that was starting to die out, it looked back to the brat only to not find him anywhere. Not until the brat appeared so suddenly in front of it and struck its chest down to its belly with his bare hands.

For the thousand years, he was venturing on Encantadia, ever since it gained wisdom as an ordinary animal and awakened power and learned to use the World Energy back then in the Forsaken Age, no ordinary being was able to make a scratch on its skin. But this child, with just one swing of his hand, the gorilla had completely become powerless and fell with its front on the ground.

It could only mean that this brat was no ordinary individual!

"What the heck! Just who is this monster!?" The gorilla thought, helpless to what just happened to him.

Am I going to die just like this? A one-sided battle... against a child? A king like me?

Ugh!

Just what have I done in my past life to suffer like this?!

Jim came closer to it and stepped on its left temple as he spoke, "Considering that you lied to me, and you are quite strong yourself, I will spare your life this time..."

Quite strong?

The gorilla really wanted to cry this time.

I am the king of this forest you know!

"...but next time we meet again and I heard you badmouth anyone in my family, consider it your last day in this world."

"..."

Jim stepped out from the gorilla's head and then walked away to go to the deeper parts of the woods while all the plants, grasses, and trees, the animals and birds except the beasts around had all come back to life!

"What the heck is happening... Just who the hell did I provoke?" The gorilla couldn't move and it felt that its power had weakened to some extent. It tried to stand up only to pass out.

Ever since that day, the gorilla had no other things on its mind but to have its revenge on that brat.

But seeing that brat in front of it once again, the fear it felt right now could really lose its rationality. Shivering, lost for words, couldn't move properly, couldn't think properly, fear had then once again flooded in its heart.