Still, I have to proceed with caution. There’s no way to be happy about this...

“Ugh-wooo!!!”

Ryan Clark summoned Mr. Harris once again, saying at the same time:

“Weapons and supplies couldn’t be brought over.” Ryan Clark said regretfully, though he had already mentally prepared himself for not being able to bring those things.

“According to the prompt, all enemies and resources in this place are illusory. I don’t even know if we’ll be able to find anything to eat here. We can’t take anything out, but can we use things while we’re here?”

“Woof.” The newly summoned Mr. Harris spaced out, not following Ryan Clark’s analysis at all, and instead started running around happily.

Ryan Clark fell silent. Damn it, do something useful, Mr. Harris. This isn’t just a walk in the park!

“I mean...” Ryan Clark was just about to say something.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

Suddenly, a sound rang out, interrupting Ryan Clark’s thoughts and making his expression tense as he cautiously looked around.

“Ugh-wooo.” Mr. Harris, who had been circling around Ryan Clark, also became alert, as if it had caught a whiff of something dangerous.

Something was approaching!

It stopped abruptly, body tensed, shielding Ryan Clark.

The surroundings were extremely dim, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the leaves onto the ground. In the eerily silent dense forest, the rustling sound grew louder and louder.

Standing on the slightly damp ground, Ryan Clark tried to determine where the sound was coming from, but in the end, he couldn’t figure it out. Mr. Harris, on the other hand, locked onto one direction the whole time, staring over there with a serious look.

“Over there, huh.” Ryan Clark looked toward the waist-high black bushes.

The rustling continued, and finally, as the sound became clearer, the bushes in front of Ryan Clark and Mr. Harris were suddenly parted.

A creature appeared, letting out a series of low growls. Its red pupils stared at Ryan Clark and Mr. Harris on the other side, unable to hide the ferocity in its gaze.

At the same time, Mr. Harris’s fur stood on end, and it began to howl loudly at the creature that had appeared!!

“Woof!!”

How dare it act fierce toward them—Mr. Harris would remember this grudge.

This is...

Ryan Clark’s eyes narrowed. This was a cat-like creature with a dark red, extremely thin body, very long claws, and what looked like long gray hair on its head!

A demon cat!

[Race]: Demon Cat

[Attribute]: Not Awakened

[Race Level]: Intermediate Transcendent

[Growth Level]: Level 2

[Description]: A bloody hunter of the dense forest, fond of tearing open its prey to drain their blood.

Ryan Clark’s temporarily acquired Eye of Data activated.

Staring at the demon cat, all its information quickly surfaced.

“Race level, as I understand it, is the strength of the species. Tigers are stronger than cats and dogs, cats and dogs are stronger than small herbivores like rabbits. This demon cat’s race level is the same as Mr. Harris’s, so Mr. Harris doesn’t have the advantage.”

“As for growth level, it’s probably tied to the growth stage, like juvenile or mature. The higher the level, the better the physical attributes. Mr. Harris is only level 1, but this one is level 2. Not good.”

In an instant, Ryan Clark judged that this guy was not to be messed with—definitely not a low-level monster for newbies to practice on.

As the two sides faced off, the atmosphere grew more and more tense. Ryan Clark held his breath, observing the surroundings and trying to keep himself calm.

If the newbie task is to survive for a day, there’s no need to go head-to-head with this thing, especially right after entering the secret realm.

To last a day, it’s best to find supplies and get to a safe place, lay low for a day, avoid unnecessary fights, and only engage in battles when absolutely necessary to conserve energy.

Right now...

If he turned and ran, he might be able to avoid a fight if he was lucky. But if he triggered the creature’s hunting instinct and it gave chase, whether he escaped or not, he’d be at a huge disadvantage in this unknown forest and waste a lot of energy.

At the moment, the best option is... to scare it off!

Next, after careful consideration, Ryan Clark did something that left both Mr. Harris and the demon cat utterly stunned.

Ryan Clark stared solemnly at the demon cat, suddenly spread his arms wide to make himself look bigger, and roared at the demon cat!

“Ula!!!!” Ryan Clark shouted, trying to scare it away.

His dad, who often dealt with wild animals, had told him that when you encounter a fierce beast in the wild, it’s best not to turn and run. Instead, face it head-on and show your presence—at least you’ll die with more dignity.

And, if you’re lucky, if the beast doesn’t know much about humans, there’s a slim chance you might scare it off.

However, after finishing the whole intimidation routine, Ryan Clark felt like the atmosphere had gotten even worse.

Mr. Harris looked completely baffled.

The demon cat’s face twisted, then it suddenly roared and lunged at Ryan Clark.

Ryan Clark couldn’t help but curse. Which step did I mess up? Also, his telepathy didn’t seem to work on this phantom!

The demon cat was very agile, but luckily Ryan Clark had also been enhanced and could see its movements clearly.

At this point, Ryan Clark gave up on any other ideas and decided to face the demon cat head-on. It’s just a cat—he’d handled plenty of them over the years.

He’d even picked up tiger cubs by the scruff before.