Chapter 342: Fighting A Master-Rank Beast [2] Noah began his approach toward the massive tiger with measured steps, his blade sheathed at his side. The beast was considerably larger than the crimson panther, standing nearly seven feet at the shoulder with muscles that rippled beneath striped fur. This was a middle-stage master rank creature, and its physical presence alone was intimidating. Let’s start with the basics, Noah thought as he closed the distance between them. The tiger launched forward with explosive power, its massive paw swinging toward Noah’s torso with enough force to shatter stone. Noah met the attack directly, catching the limb with his bare hand while his blade remained unused. The impact sent shockwaves through his arm, and he was forced backwards several feet despite his enhanced vitality. Interesting. My raw strength alone isn’t quite enough, Noah realised as he shook out his tingling fingers. The tiger possessed the kind of overwhelming physical power that came from being a creature designed purely for combat and hunting. Its body was a weapon honed by evolution and magical enhancement. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 The tiger pressed its advantage, launching a series of devastating strikes that forced Noah into defensive positions. Each blow carried tremendous weight, and while his durability prevented injury, the force was driving him backwards steadily. His strength attribute simply wasn’t sufficient to match this creature’s natural advantages. Time to even the playing field. Noah activated his Aura skill, channelling mana throughout his entire body in patterns designed to enhance physical capabilities beyond their natural limits. The energy flowed through his muscles, bones, and nervous system, amplifying strength, speed, and reflexes simultaneously. His body began radiating a faint blue glow as the technique took full effect. When the tiger’s next strike came, Noah caught it firmly and actually managed to hold his ground without being pushed backwards. The beast’s eyes widened with surprise as it realized its physical dominance had suddenly evaporated. Much better. The aura enhancement brings me close to its natural strength level, Noah assessed as he pushed the massive paw aside and delivered a powerful punch to the tiger’s shoulder that actually made the creature stumble. This was particularly impressive considering that the tiger was fundamentally a heavy hitter that relied almost entirely on physical attacks rather than elemental manipulation. Its entire combat strategy centred around overwhelming opponents through superior strength and durability. The fact that Noah could match it while being multiple ranks lower spoke to how abnormal his attribute distribution had become from the amount of enhancements that his items had provided. They exchanged blows with increasing intensity, the forest floor cratering beneath their feet from the impact forces involved. Noah’s blade carved shallow cuts across the tiger’s hide whenever openings appeared, while the beast’s claws left scratches on his clothing without penetrating to the flesh beneath. His absurd vitality, combined with aura enhancement, made him nearly as durable as the master-rank tiger despite the gap in their rank. My body can withstand this level of punishment without serious damage. The combination of vitality and aura enhancement is working exactly as I hoped, Noah noted with satisfaction as another heavy blow glanced off his reinforced forearm. The tiger’s attacks carried tremendous variety despite its focus on physical combat. It used its weight advantage to attempt pins and crushes, its jaws to deliver armour-piercing bites, and its tail like a blunt weapon to strike from unexpected angles. Noah responded with his swordsmanship, his blade work flowing through defensive patterns while his free hand delivered strikes powered by his enhanced strength. After several minutes of intense physical combat, Noah decided he had gathered sufficient data about his basic capabilities. Time to test the new technique. This tiger will be the perfect testing dummy. Noah could barely hold in his smile that came from excitement. He created distance with a powerful kick that sent the tiger sliding backwards, then began channelling mana according to the pattern engraved in his mind for Striking Eagle. The wind element responded to his will, compressing and shaping itself into a construct that gradually took recognisable form. An eagle materialised before him, constructed entirely from swirling compressed wind that gave it a semi-transparent appearance. The creation was approximately three feet from beak to tail, its wings spread wide as it hovered with perfect stability. The level of detail was remarkable, individual feathers visible in the flowing air currents that comprised its body. The casting took longer than I’d like, but the construct feels stable, Noah observed as he directed the wind eagle toward his target. The tiger recognised the threat and attempted to dodge, but the eagle tracked its movements like a predator. When the construct finally made contact with the beast’s flank, the real display began. The wind eagle detonated upon impact, but rather than simply dispersing, it transformed into something far more devastating. A sphere of rotating wind blades materialised around the tiger, trapping it within a prison of cutting force approximately ten meters in diameter. The blades varied dramatically in size, from massive crescents as long as a man to microscopic cutting edges invisible to normal vision. They slashed at the trapped tiger from every conceivable angle simultaneously, attacking high and low, from the sides and above, in patterns that made defence impossible. The tiger roared in pain and fury as hundreds of cuts appeared across its body within seconds. It tried to break through the whirlwind prison, launching its considerable mass against the rotating barrier, but the force was too strong. The wind blades simply redirected their momentum back toward the centre while continuing their relentless assault. Blood began spraying outward from the countless wounds accumulating on the beast’s form. The cuts ranged from shallow scratches caused by the smaller blades to deep gashes where the larger crescents carved through muscle and into bone. The precision was horrifying; some blades targeted specific vulnerabilities like joints and eyes, while others simply worked to create cumulative damage through overwhelming numbers. The technique is more powerful than I anticipated, Noah thought with a mixture of satisfaction and concern about the brutal effectiveness of his new skill.