The Incarnate Snow Beast King had originally planned to teach this boy a lesson. That was all he was doing through this beating.
Perhaps it could be considered as courage to refuse to bow down to someone of his power level, but there were some situations where such courage was useless.
It would only lead to an early death.
And so, he wanted this boy to realize the consequences of becoming too inflated, of facing a Beast King like him and still assuming he could still wriggle his way out of the situation.
But as time went on, he became a little annoyed and at the same time grew a slight admiration for the boy. Unlike the others, he could clearly see Damien's expression during the entire fight.
Not once had he shown even an ounce of resignation. Every time he was hit, he would glare at the Beast King without fear. This kind of attitude wasn't something just anyone could possess.