(Verc’s POV)
I spent the entire night completely immersed in my meditation, focusing on the rhythm of my mana heart.
And by the time I finally pulled myself out of that deep state and opened my eyes to the early morning light...
GRRR~!
My stomach let out a long, violent growl that echoed through the quiet forest. It wasn’t just a normal hunger; it was a sharp, hollow ache that made my entire body feel weak.
It was frustrating. All the energy I had painstakingly stored up through drinking the blood of those snakes and bunnies yesterday was just gone, vanished into thin air. Normally, a meal like that would’ve lasted me at least a full month without needing to hunt again. But it seemed like [Mana Circulation] was acting like a furnace, burning through my blood reserves at an incredible speed just to keep the mana flowing.
’Using aura to strengthen my weapon and my body consumes a lot of my essence as well.’
I realized that this was the price I had to pay. Pushing my body past its natural limits using mana was powerful, but it was exhausting my energy insanely fast.
Anyway, I looked over and saw that Onyx and Bong were already awake and waiting for me. Bong was lazily grazing on some of the wild grass near our camp, his tail swishing at flies. Onyx, on the other hand, was just sitting there quietly, his eyes locked on me as he waited for his breakfast.
I reached into the supplies Edgar had left for me and grabbed some of the bunny meat I had prepared. I had cooked it slightly over the fire’s embers last night, and I tossed it to Onyx now. He caught it mid-air. Then, I made sure to give Bong some of the wild fruits I had gathered yesterday as a treat.
With them taken care of, I closed my eyes for a second to scan the area. I pushed out my [Echolocation] and [Vibration Awareness], feeling the "pulse" of the forest around me.
A few tens of meters away, hidden behind some thick trees and heavy bushes, I sensed a large, heavy presence. Based on the vibrations and the way the ground groaned under its weight, it seemed to be a bear.
I smiled to myself, my breakfast was already decided. I looked back at Bong and Onyx.
"Wait here, you two. I wouldn’t take long."
I told them that so they wouldn’t get anxious while I was away. I did a quick check with my senses to make sure nothing else dangerous was lurking near the camp, and once I was sure they were safe—
BAM!
I kicked off the ground with a sudden burst of power and rushed toward the bear I had sensed a few moments earlier.
I made sure to wrap my legs and feet in a thick layer of mana before I hit full speed. My natural leg strength was already abnormal because of some of my skills, so when I combined that with my mana reinforcement—
BOOM! SWOOOOOSH—!!!
I glided through the forest like a bullet fired from a gun. The trees around me became a green and brown blur as I tore through them. Each step I took was like a small explosion; the ground beneath my boots would crack and spray dirt everywhere from the sheer force of my movement.
And in a matter of seconds— TAP!
I skidded to a stop at the exact spot where I had sensed the bear.
And there—
"Huh...?"
I was greeted by something entirely different than a normal forest bear.
I mean, it was definitely a bear, but it was easily twice as big as any regular one I had ever seen. It was a monster.
The creature had thick, matted brown fur, but its eyes were a glowing, empty red that lacked any spark of intelligence. Its claws were long, jagged, and looked sharp enough to tear through solid steel. Even its jaw was weird; it looked like it was made of some type of jagged rock, and its teeth were the same stony material.
And coming from this creature... I could feel a heavy, suffocating wave of pure bloodlust.
-GRRRR?
The bear monster turned its massive head toward me, sensing my sudden arrival. I didn’t flinch. I just stood my ground and stared right back into those creepy red eyes.
But then, without any warning— BAM!
The beast rushed at me with surprising speed, a predatory smile stretching across its rocky face!
It closed the distance between us in an instant. Before I could even blink, its massive right claws were only inches away from my face, ready to take my head off.
FWIP—
My body moved entirely on instinct, faster than I could even think. My right hand flew to the handle of the sword sheathed at my left waist. And watching the path of the bear’s claws—
SWISH— TIIIING!
I drew my blade upward in one smooth motion, catching the strike. I continued the swing with a powerful follow-through, parrying the monster’s entire heavy arm up into the air and leaving its chest wide open.
-GRAAAAAHHH!!!
WHOOOSH—!
The bear didn’t stop, though. Realizing its first attack had been deflected, it immediately followed up with a vicious horizontal swing from its left claws.
I just glanced at the incoming attack. I didn’t even try to dodge. Instead, I raised my left hand to meet it—
THUD!
I covered my arm with mana and activated [Black Scales] to catch the incoming claws with ease. The impact was heavy, but I didn’t move an inch.
CRACK!
I grabbed the bear’s left paw and squeezed with all the strength I had. I gripped it so tightly that I could actually hear the sound of its thick bones being crushed under my hand.
-GRRRRRRGGGHH?!!
The bear’s red eyes widened in pure, agonizing pain. It clearly hadn’t expected a human-sized opponent to be able to completely overpower it like this.
The monster just stood there for a second, looking me straight in the eyes with a look of utter confusion. But I didn’t really care about how it felt.
My right hand and my sword were already raised high in the air. So after just a small, quick twist of my wrist— FWIP.
I brought the blade down with everything I had.
S L A S H—!
My aura-covered blade sliced through the bear monster’s right shoulder and carved all the way down through its chest and into its stomach. The strike was so powerful and clean that it almost cut the creature’s entire massive body in half.
SPLASH!
Crimson red blood sprayed everywhere, coating the nearby trees and soaking into the ground. It covered my whole body, making my clothes feel heavy and sticky. It was pretty disgusting.
And then, a moment later... THUD!
The bear monster fell heavily to the forest floor, its life gone before the sound of its fall even echoed through the trees.
I looked down at the massive corpse in front of me. I dropped to one knee and reached out to grab it.
"I need to hurry up, the two are waiting for me."
I mumbled that to myself, my voice sounding a bit raspy because of thirst.
And without wasting any more time, I leaned in and took a massive bite out of the monster’s neck.
CHOMP.
*****
I didn’t end up getting any flashy new skills from the bear monster, but I could feel my body changing. I could tell right away that my biting power had increased drastically.
And now, when I use [Black Scales] to form claws, they feel several times sharper and much more durable.
My overall endurance improved as well, and I could feel my muscles tightening and getting even stronger under my skin.
So, although I didn’t walk away with a brand-new named skill— I had definitely become a lot stronger in a different, more physical sense.
’This isn’t bad at all.’
I thought to myself, reflecting on the new power of my innate skill. It seemed that my body was evolving to handle more pressure and weight.
Anyway, I didn’t let anything go to waste. I drank every single drop of blood from the bear monster, leaving its massive body shriveled up like a dry raisin on the ground.
Then, immediately after I finished my meal, I ran back toward the campsite where I had left the two.
... ... ...
When I got back to the clearing—
Bong was still casually eating his wild grass, while Onyx was just sitting perfectly still, looking intently in the direction where I had disappeared earlier.
He had been waiting for me the entire time.
The moment he saw me step out from between the trees, his tail immediately started wagging back and forth with excitement.
Bong stopped eating at my arrival as well and started walking toward me with a low whinny. I approached the two of them and gave them both a long, well-deserved pat on the head.
Then, after that—
"Let’s go."
I took a few minutes to clean up the surroundings and hide our tracks as best as I could so nobody could follow us.
Once I was done with that, I left the clearing with the two of them to continue our journey deeper into the forest.