The Mordrigan Peaks was a series of inhospitable mountains in the Zino Kingdom. With the numerous prowling beasts, treacherous terrain, and unpredictable weather, barely anyone ventured here. As a result, there were many myths and folklore about the place. For example, the story about a woman dressed in pure white, holding a lantern, walking through the dark forest. She would sing an entrancing lullaby to anyone nearby, luring them into a deep sleep. Unable to resist, the woman would slowly approach and reap their souls. The soul-collector would then add their souls to her lantern where they would burn for all eternity. Stories such as these were commonplace in any tavern or bar, designed to deter children from anything dangerous. That was all they were, mere tales of imagination gone wild… Well, at least that was normally.
The familiar sight of the soul-collector appeared half-way up one mountain with an inconspicuous light wielded by a girl. After returning to her dark cave, Shirley dropped a coyote carcass she hunted. In a matter of minutes, a warm fire was born, washing away the night. It seemed to wash away her fatigue as well and caused the girl to heave a sigh of relief. She stressed her hearing to its maximum. From what she could tell, there was nothing dangerous around. Surviving in the Mordrigan Peaks was truly a pitiful experience. Not only were there ferocious beasts around, but her teacher, Inari, was completely absent! Thinking about it sent her blood boiling. What kind of teacher was this? He did nothing besides throw her into the wilderness!
"Ah… I can't let that person get to me," she said while massaging her forehead. Her muscles were cramping up so hard that if she let frustration take over, she might really go crazy.
Although the experience was horrible, it was not without gain. Her body was becoming so much stronger than before that it almost resembled a dream. She could lift heavier, run faster, and endure longer! For example, before coming here, she struggled with the atmosphere and every movement felt like a slog. Her breathing would run ragged in less than an hour, forcing her to rest. And that was with just walking around without any weight! It was sad to say, but she had to run away from every fight. Coyotes were one of many beasts that would tear her to shreds. There were countless others roaming the mountains, especially near the peaks. However, it was different now.
Her performance was leaps better than when she first arrived. Shirley could run for extended periods of time, while carrying heavy weights, and still perform in battle. Her attacks were far swifter and precise, allowing her to target vital spots instinctually. Furthermore, they contained a lot more power! Her senses were elevated to another level entirely. It was nowhere close to Perception Realm of course. It was not that easy to transcend human limits. But if Inari were to judge her now, she would be firmly in the Fundamental Realm Expert level! Another step would place her at the peak of the Fundamental Realm! It was truly a meteoric speed!
Shirley took a deep breath and started working. First, she changed out of her filthy clothes, then disinfected her wounds before carefully bandaging everything up. Using a knife, she hacked the coyote carcass to pieces, slapped them on the fire, and worked on other things. While she was improving by leaps and bounds, that did not make anything easier. In fact, it was almost like the mountains were matching her progress, hindering her in every way possible. This prevented her from properly resting and healing. The result of this was a never-ending sense of exhaustion. Giving up would lead to her death though, so she could not lose hope. She promised to beat Inari black and blue the next time she saw him!
The girl cleared her mind and ate the terrible food to recover some energy. Just as her nerves were about to unwind, her ears twitched. Ever since the fight with the Third Hand, her hearing was approaching the Perception Realm level. The training on the mountains further pushed her closer! Therefore, she could hear the rustling of some large animals nearby. They were trying to sneak around, while approaching her in the darkness. Shirley felt her spine tingle. Without her training, they would have snuck up and killed her! Did they sense her or the coyote corpse? Regardless, she grabbed her sword and assumed a battle stance. As if noticing their scheme failed, two wolves entered her sight.
Her eyes digested the scene at rapid speed. Wolves were larger and arguably more dangerous than coyotes. Adding to the fact that there were two of them made it several times worse. Shirley's face turned ugly. Her back was facing the cave, so the wolves were blocking her escape route. She had nowhere to go! But it was not entirely hopeless as Shirley turned to inspect them closer. Although they were hiding it well, there were clear signs of malnutrition on their bodies. They must have been starving for a while. Furthermore, one of them was wounded which increased her chances of victory by a large margin. Shirley nodded. It was possible she could win! No, she had to win!
All those thoughts passed instantly, while her body moved. The first wolf pounced with a downward claw strike. It was so fast it left afterimages in the air! With enough power to kill in one strike, it descended on her head. Just as fast, the girl took a step back and dodged the attack. Keeping her senses open, she locked onto the second wolf flanking her. While their coordination was imperfect, a beast's instincts were far greater than a human's. They acted smoothly, complimenting each other into pushing her back. Shirley gritted her teeth and avoided another attack from the second wolf. One on attacking, another on ambushing… They prevented her from countering!
As if that would be enough! Her heart pounded madly, delivering energy throughout her exhausted body. Despite lacking Martial Energy, that did not make her any less formidable. Her lifeforce was frequently deemed as monstrous like Benedict! Time seemed to enter slow motion as her senses became hypersensitive. It was akin to what Perception Realms could achieve, albeit on a much shorter timeframe. She coined it Mock Perception! This gave her a tiny moment to figure out her plan of attack. Shirley might appear barbaric and crude on the surface, but that did not mean she was careless. She was not a masochist. No one wanted to fail and get hurt on purpose! Her thoughts spun quickly, and Mock Perception ended an instant later, prompting time to normalize.
Shirley kicked the firepit, sending flaming embers straight to the first wolf. The poor beast howled in fear and pain as the fire started burning its fur. She also recoiled from the impact. Her boot was well protected against most things, but kicking a bare fire was another. Thankfully, it was for a split-second. If it were longer, then her foot would have been cooked! Resisting the pain, while one was occupied, she attacked the second wolf! Her sword arced through the wind and cut down with merciless force. Shirley aimed directly for the wolf's previous injury, hacking its leg clean off! Before the blood could even settle, she kicked the wolf in the stomach and sent it colliding into the cave wall. At the same instant, the wolf retaliated and snagged her leg!
She shouted out a curse. It did not take flesh, though the claws dug into her nerves. The pain was unreal. Nevertheless, Shirley did not stop. Using her momentum, her sword slashed into the burning wolf beside her. It sliced right through with ease as blood splashed everywhere, including on her. By the time the second wolf recovered, the first was already dead! Right now, Shirley was really pushed to the limit. Her arms and legs felt like lead. Even her vision was fading slightly. The remaining wolf growled and attacked Shirley with desperation. It knew it could not flee, so its savagery increased! Even on three legs, it was unbelievably quick. In an instant, it was about to disembowel her!
Damn! I don't have time! Shirley despaired, feeling the wolf's claws entering her chest.
But at the last second… Her willpower emerged at full force! Mock Perception! As her senses exploded to a new height, time nearly crawled to a halt. This was far more extreme than any of the previous times. Shirley did not waste time and summoned every bit of energy in her body. Her muscles bulged, forcing her legs to swerve! By following the attack trajectory, she managed to dodge the fatal hit! Furthermore, her sword pierced right into the wolf's throat and exited from the back. As her Mock Perception ended, the poor girl collapsed with two corpses surrounding her. Another night passed in her nightmarish training on the Mordrigan Peaks…