Mana
This quintessential and infinite energy was now enhancing my body, empowering me. It swirled and pulsated, its existence detached from my own. I was like a cup to water. While the cup can shape and form water like its own, water was still water.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
A strike from the beast came towards me, aiming for my face. I brought up my arm, only to be met with a shattered and broken limb. I catch the oncoming strike, the beasts leg caught awkwardly in my hand. The mana enhanced the every muscle in my body, giving me strength beyond leaps and bounds.
With a flick of my wrist, I dislocate the beast's leg. The beast yelped, and I used this chance to escape.
With a step lighter and faster than ever before, I maneuver myself at the beasts side. It stood on uneven footing, the dislocated leg impeding its balance. The beast glared at me. Just like how I noticed the green mana enhancing its legs, it, too, noticed the mana surrounding me.
With the sound of a small explosion, I took one big step towards the beast. I brought up my arm, aiming for the beasts head.
It instantly brought up its wings, using it as a shield to block my attack. A circuit-like array of lines lit up it's wingspan. Mana traveled and converged towards it, the surrounding area on its wings now enhanced with mana. Not only did the beast have better strength and power, its control of mana was above me by multiple levels. If it wasn't for the abundant amount of mana surrounding me, I would have already died.
My arm crashed against the beasts wing, the impact powerful enough to shake the cavern walls. Even with the large amount of mana enhancing my body, the beast was still stronger than me.
Imitating the beast, I condensed the mana to my right arm. The mana heeded my call, traveling from my feet up to my arm, enhancing it even further. Soon, I was met excruciating pain.
Pain
Pain
Pain
Pain
Pain
A burning, searing, unimaginable amount of pain assaulted my body. My arm suddenly felt like a hot iron rod. It traveled from my arm, to my shoulder, and finally to my heart. My muscles screamed at me to stop, to break my promise. But I couldn't. Even if my body had turned to ash, even if my senses had dulled to the point of nothingness, that is the one thing I would never do.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
With the sound of glass shattering, the beasts wings broke. Enraged, the beast assaulted me. Its strikes were random and instinctual, just like the monster it was.
That's more like it
I met, parried, and blocked the beasts blows, using the minimal amount of mana to enhance my body. I didn't counterattack. Despite the more than abundant amount of mana surrounding me, it wasn't infinite. I would need to apportion it, use scarce amounts to be just on the same level of speed and power as the beast. Despite risking my life, I was barely able to destroy the beasts magic circuits – the most protected part when channeling mana. This meant that I had to wait for the perfect opportunity, the most suitable moment to launch a decisive blow.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
My routine continued. None of the beasts strikes were able to injure me, angering it further. The beasts attacks became more furious, unpredictable. Sweat trickled down my cheek as my mind was stretched to its absolute limit. With my senses enhanced by mana, I was barely able to make out the attacks in time to deal with them. This caused the beast to be more desperate – impatient. The beast took one quick step back, then lunged one big kick at me.
Now!
Using the large amount of mana I had obtained, I grab its steel-heavy legs now as light as a feather. Twisting my body, I pull it towards me. With one fluid motion, the beast was now mere inches from me. I pull back my arm for a strike, only to be met by the beasts broken arms. The bones inside it shattered. The blow sending the beast flying towards the wall he had so graciously pummeled me in. Before he could do so, however, I leaped towards it.
Using the last remains of the seemingly endless supply of mana, I strengthen legs. I jumped, spun, and kick the beast on the face, my second fatal blow sending the beast crashing to the now twice broken wall.
「Because of the lack of paths the selection process will be skipped」
My body collapsed, my vision going nearly blind. My body was no longer responding to me, the muscles in my arms and legs now felt foreign and unknown.
This was the price I had paid
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
Obtaining and using that much mana burdened my mana circuits far heavier than I had imagined, leaving me in my now almost dead state. Still, it couldn't end like this.
I still had a promise to keep. One that I had to uphold more than anything.
I approached the beast despite my severe lack of mobility. I didn't how I did it or if some miracle happened, but somehow I was closer to the beast than I already was. With a shaking hand, I place my palm on the beasts large frame. As soon as I did, the darkness caught up to me.
「Evolution will now commence」