The smell of blood hung in the air. What filled Gray’s nostrils now was a mingled stench—blood from every kind of animal, mingled with the rank odor of torn flesh. Gray stood in the center of the Primeval Beastwood, panting hard.0

The Primeval Beastwood was both a heaven and a hell for beasts. The forest which Gray wandered now was a space created by the primordial darkness, a proving ground for those who wished to become the King of Beasts. It was an ancient domain, where creatures from the beginning of time wandered through the trees. Here roamed mammoths, long extinct in the real world, red-maned lions who once ruled the savannas, and countless other predators that had prowled through different eras and lands. Only those who could reign over this savage world with overwhelming might were deemed worthy to inherit the primordial darkness.0

The shadows beneath the thick forest canopy produced yet another pack of predators. They included hulking rhinoceroses clad in armor-like skin, a black-maned lion, and a bear with red eyes, among others. Judging by their scent, each one was monstrously strong.0

Gray bared his fangs and lowered his stance. The moment his front paw clenched the ground, sharp claws extended...0