Marduk was left by Kayden at the entrance of a forest, known by the folks in Mint as the most dangerous area of the region. Kayden told him to not rush things and to stay in the first and less dangerous part of the forest. Marduk agreed and decided to explore the forest without leaving the area in which the vegetation was thinner.
After an hour of exploration, in which he only saw small animals and minor magic beasts, his unique ability warned him of the presence of three magic beasts nearly as strong as himself.
He immediately started moving with his step technique, climbing on a tree branch just behind the beasts. He saw three monkeys, they were slightly bigger than normal and their fur was of strange colours, a yellow one and two green ones. Marduk felt some type of pressure from them, especially from the yellow one.
Marduk remained calm as he thought about how to approach his first battle. Despite the effects of his title being already active, he managed to do the smartest thing and activated his unique skill which showed him the details on the green monkeys' natures and skills.
Chimon
Rank: low (final stage)
Monkey type magical beast that is only able to use the element which is related to the colour of his fur. The Chimon can use basic level bend magic spells and middle-low level fusion magic skill. Pay particular attention to his long fangs, sharp claws and fast and nimble tail.
Finally he focused on the leader.
Superior Chimon
Rank: Medium (middle stage)
Evolution of a Chimon with the strength of a normal bear and able to use one of the higher types of magic. It has a very sly nature and is often seen with one or two Chimon. In case of danger it will use its subordinates to flee.
"Maybe it won't be as easy as I thought? Well there is only one way to find out…" Marduk muttered to himself.
The three beasts were in a little opening in the thick forest, they were resting and eating mango-like fruit. Marduk, still perching on his branch, had a very good view of the enemies.
'First of all I should reduce the difference in numbers.' Thought Marduk who suddenly leapt right into the clearing. He immediately chose a target and used one of his axes to try to behead one of the green Chimons.
What Marduk was yet to learn was that as inhabitants of the forest, the magical beasts had much better senses than humans and alike. Indeed, as soon as it sensed the movement of the small child, the chimon started dodging the fatal slash. In that split second.
'If it goes on like this I'll miss it… I didn't take in consideration the differences between our sixth sense. Ok, calm down, if I just shift my weight this way then…'
"SCREEEECH…"
Marduk used the momentum of the missed slash to change it and redirect the attack towards one of the limbs of the green beast, chopping it.
The painful screech of the Chimon allerted his comrades of the danger. Suddenly four wind blades flew at high speed in three different directions forcing Marduk to take several steps back to avoid great damage.
'Good, they are panicking, is it now or never!'
The boy used this moment of general panic for the three monkey-like monsters to throw his axes to the two uninjured ones. The one he threw to the green one hit the target, splitting his head in two, while the other one just grazed the abdomen of the Superior Chimon making it stumble back a bit.
'The first is out, two more to go.'
The Chimon with the chopped arm managed to take the inexperienced child by surprise using wind magic to form a sphere and hitting his unprotected back.
'Damn that doesn't seem good.'
Marduk flinched because of the sudden pain in his back. His clothes burst at the mere touch of the wind spell, as they were made of normal leather, but the damage that Marduk sustained on his skin was only superficial thanks to his body refining technique.
Fear twisted the grin of the Chimon when he noticed that the human child remained nearly unharmed. Indeed Marduk was already counterattacking. He spinned on his left foot while kicking the air with the right one. A large wind blade appeared cutting diagonally the body of the green beast and carving the bark of the nearest tree. The beast's innards were scattered all around, Marduk looked at the scene with unwavering eyes.
'Thanks god, for my title and nature, if it wasn't for them I would probably be here pucking unancontrollably. Well that was the second one, let's go for the last one.'
Then Marduk slowly turned his attention to the Superior Chimon which was trembling in fear behind him.
The magic beast was much more intelligent than his two minions and realised that fighting wasn't an option. So it mastered all of his strength in his feet and fled in the forest. Marduk in that moment saw something amazing that he never expected to see. The fur of the fleeting beast was crackling as small yellow bolts were forming on each and every step and the ground blackened at the touch.
Marduk didn't follow the monkey because he was in the middle of a real epiphany.
"That's it" he whispered, "That's fusion magic!"
It took a while for Marduk to snap out of his trance while he thought of the process needed to activate fusion magic. He had tried to use it several times in those two years of training, failing miserably.
"So it's like that, uh." he said while playing with his hair, "No wonder I couldn't do it! I lacked the foundations… but now I understand, I can feel it, the mana flows in my body like water in the rapids, unrestrained but if I can tame it, then…" A strange pattern appeared on his body as he made his mana flow and in a few seconds it started to light up with a green colour.
"I succeeded! I have finally found the process to use fusion magic!" Marduk exclaimed as he smiled, "I feel very light and I can feel everything much better!"
At that moment he lost all of his energy as he fell to the ground. He was still conscious as sharp pain bolted all through his body.
"AAAAGH, What's going on?! My body hurts all over and I can't move." he was starting to panic when the effect of his nature calmed his mind. He immediately used the Deity's eyes on himself and what he saw were the states he should have expected.
Overheat: state the organism goes in when the mana pattern is used over the allowed time or capacity, effects:
Exhaustion: you are unable to move since all your energies are depleted.
Mana pattern's abuse: state the organism goes in when the mana pattern is used when still unrefined, effects:
Pain V: you will feel strong pain all over the body as if acid was poured over it; duration: 3512s
Mana pattern's damage: possible injuries of the mana pattern, possibility: 30%.
"That could be a problem…" Marduk said just before collapsing.
Meanwhile two shadows were looking at him from a distance.
"What was that?" a soft feminine voice whispered. "I don't know but we should report it for sure." a rough voice replied.
"Wait who's that?" the soft voice said pointing at somebody who had approached the unconscious child. The unknown man had white shoulder-length hair and a slim but muscular build, with two long crystal horns.
"I don't know who he is but he surely is of the dragon race. Get ready to move if he tries something funny." the rough voice ordered in a stern tone. The man then touched the child, mourmered something, and a white light emanated from his hand enveloping Marduk's body.
He then turned his attention to the two small humans spying on him from a distance and glared at them with his ice-blue eyes. The two felt an enormous pressure crashing them. "What's going on?! Who's that?!" the feminine voice said before bending and throwing up. "I don't know who he is but I know what he is! He is a master of the Very High final stage!" The rough voice exclaimed while trembling in fear. At that moment the pressure dissolved and with it the white haired man.
"Oh, they are back." Kayden thought while wiping the sweat from his muscular body, when suddenly someone knocked on the door of his training ground. A young man in his twenties and a short girl, who seemed to be seventeen years old, entered the room with a frightened look on their faces.
Kayden's carefree smile dissolved at the sight of their pale faces.
"Is Marduk ok?! Is my grandson okay?!" Kayden asked in a worried tone.
"Yes Milord, Marduk is alive and fine, but more than something happened." the young man answered.
"In that case, Shen and Takeko, I need a full report."
Half an hour later, Shen and Takeko left Kayden alone to let him think and decide on the best course of action.
"So it happened, eh Selina. Are you now regretting your decision?" Kayden said while watching through the window, to the east.