Continuing the same physical training for another month. Arsh was now much more agile and stronger than before. But, still nowhere near the level of Alan.
"Now, I can teach you how to use daggers. You are in better shape than before. Probably?"
Alan gave a sarcastic remark to the running Arsh. Who was in the middle of the forest, chased by a monster.
A magic beast of coyote level, with the size of a wolf and the body of a mantis. It was really weird; a fascinating sight to see a big mantis chasing down a kid.
After escaping from the giant mantis successfully, he turned to face his mentor. Alan was sitting in silence, spinning a dagger in his right hand, juggling the other one in his left hand.
"A dagger is a very useful weapon. Mostly due to its shorter size. You can also use it to throw at your enemies if the situation calls for it. It doesn't require any footwork or techniques."
"It mostly depends upon catching your opponent off guard. You need agility, and a well-trained brain, to use a dagger efficiently. As it doesn't depend upon raw strength. Pretty sleek, No?"
He gave Arsh the 2 Metal daggers he was holding, with unusual carvings on them. It was just simple metal daggers, with some fancy designs, nothing very special.
"Now, listen. Always try to think ahead of the situations at hand. Adapt accordingly to it. If you don't consider your future. You are going to die in no time at all."
"Also most of the beasts don't think much. So, you can easily outsmart them."
Alan smiled again. Arsh immediately started running away from him. The feeling of deja-vu clouded his senses. But, of course, Alan was faster.
Alan caught him by his throat. Dragging him to the top of the little cliff, suspending him in the air from the top.
He let the hold lose. Resulting in Arsh falling down the little valley.
"Try not to die, kid."
Arsh fell from a considerable height. He quickly caught a branch near him, trying to cushion the fall, even a little. But it was of no avail. Due to his acceleration, the branches broke, resulting in him directly hitting the ground.
"I should start questioning his training method."
Arsh stood up, looking around. It was quiet in this part of the forest. Trees and wildlife were everywhere. It all felt beautiful and mesmerising, until Arsh caught sight of the Monster in front of him.
"The b-blood red hound."
The beast was taller than Arsh, about 2 meters in height. His body is of a bear, covered completely by red furs.
The beast's teeth and red eyes made it very clear, it was better not to disturb him.
'Should I try to kill that thing?'
Arsh was standing a little away from the monster. He started considering all his options in his mind. He needed to survive this, while also getting stronger.
'Who am I kidding? I am not that insane.'
Arsh took a step back slowly, trying to get away before the beast noticed his presence.
But, Arsh was forgetting something very important. The very basic knowledge, every hunter needed to not be the one hunted instead.
They are called monsters for a reason.
They have more heightened senses than humans.
Arsh took the second step back and saw two blood-red eyes attached to him. The hound was staring at him intently, to gouge out the strength of his prey.
'Shit! Shit! Shit!'
'He found me!!'
Arsh cursed his fate. But everything vanished from his mind completely. The moment he saw the giant beast, getting on all fours legs, and running toward him.
'That fucker knew this was going to happen.'
Arsh cursed his mentor in his mind. He was running toward the forest again. Even if he was going to end up half-dead. He was sure Alan wouldn't help him.
Arsh took a look at the terrain, devising a plan with all the resources at hand. Which was not much, really. He only had two normal steel daggers with him.
'I don't think. I can kill that thing by throwing daggers at it'
Arsh turned around, to check on the monster. He got drenched in a cold sweat, seeing the hound close behind him. Gaining more and more speed with every passing second.
'Curses!'
"What the hell should I do now?"
Arsh knew his time was about to run out. He already gathered that the daggers can't penetrate the skin of the beast. His thick red furs were too dense for that.
Instead, he changed his approach, running directly toward the river flowing nearby. He looked back, at the hound with the huge body, chasing him from behind.
'I hope this works or else it is not going to end well for me.'
Arsh started running toward the river at full speed, the hound noticed that and also increased his speed.
'Good Fucker! Good!'
Arsh slowed down a bit near the bank of the river, to collect the strength of his limbs, and with full force. Arsh barely jumped over the river.
'Go to hell!! You Damn Monster.'
Arsh was confident he would be saved now. A hound with that huge of a body, won't be able to jump a whole river. He turned back, to see the beast again one last time, feeling victorious.
What he saw instead was a giant monster in midair, jumping over the whole river.
Arsh's mouth hung open at the sight. He started running again, shouting-
"THAT DIDN'T WORK AT ALL."
Arsh's speed was now very slow, compared to the start. He was too tired now, from all the running and jumping.
The red hound was waiting for this very moment. It noticed Arsh's condition, constantly increasing his speed.
Arsh's legs were begging for rest. He was sure he couldn't get out of the situation. But, It doesn't mean he was just going to give up. He knew he had to do something different in order to survive.
'....'
A very bad idea popped up in his brain, looking at the terrain. Arsh knew instinctively, he was surely going to get killed, If he messed up even a single percent of this plan.
"....I am going to die either way."
Left with no choice, he gritted his teeth, changing his running course again. He ran toward the bank of the river again, to get out of the dense forest. He took both of his daggers out from his pockets.
Arsh increased his speed one last time. With every ounce of the remaining strength. He jumped over once again from the bank of the River.
"Now…. Follow me beasty."
The beast followed him from behind, jumping into midair. In an attempt to cross the river again.
"Gotcha!"
Arsh stopped, and without a moment's delay, he threw the dagger aiming at the beast's red eyes. While simultaneously jumping again toward the beast.
He reached the point just above the Beast, with the last of his remaining strength. Now, the beast and Arsh both were hanging in midair together.
Leaving the hound with 2 choices.
Either to avoid the dagger or let the dagger hit and attack Arsh in midair.
The beast chose to dodge the dagger, which already was very close to his eyes.
"KUHhHh"
The beast dodged it laughing, without any difficulty at all. It was like the red hound was already expecting the dagger to come his way.
The beast's red eyes shone again. The red bloodhound was now sure of its victory. But, the hound stopped giggling, the moment he caught a glimpse of another dagger in Arsh's hand.
"It was faint. DUMBASS!"
Arsh let the dagger in his hand, and dug deep into the beast's neck from behind. Arsh knew his fur was too thick for penetrating it directly. So, he looked for a place with less density on the hound's body.
"Die!"
The dagger was now deep inside the beast's throat. But, The hound didn't give up easily, struggling fiercely.
The blood-red hound jerked himself, falling directly into the river below. Trying to throw off Arsh, along with the dagger.
But, it was too late for the hound. The dagger had already done fatal damage. It was just a matter of time before the beast took his last breath.
'Come on! Come on!'
In the last ditch attempt, the beast threw his arms around Arsh. Scratching the complete skin of his left arm, revealing the flesh within it.
"Goddammit!"
As pain surged through his whole body. Arsh winced in pain, on top of the hound's giant body. But, he didn't let go of the dagger. Neither easing his hold even a bit.
The primate-level monster continued struggling till the bitter end. Until that moment, it stopped completely.
"GaaH. This hurts!"
Arsh lay on top of his giant body.
The beast was now dead. The river was dyed red with its blood. Arsh was also covered in the blood of the red hound, his left arm non-functional.
Arsh slid down from the hound's body, directly into the river. Arsh tried to wash the wound with his functional arm, to get an accurate picture of the damage done by the beast.
"It looks completely hideous."
Arsh tore his shirt off, wincing in pain. He covered the wound with his shirt, stopping the continuous flow of blood from his hand. If not completely.
'...My favourite shirt.'
Arsh sighed, struggling to reach the bank of the river. Upon reaching there, He laid down on the solid ground. Clenching his right arm up in the air.
"I am finally getting strong. Little by little."
He muttered to himself. He knew it was in no way, his complete win. He was just lucky this time. If he didn't have terrain or weapon advantage, or even if one of them was missing. He would've been surely torn into pieces, his bones used as toothpicks.
But, he won. Against all the odds. He won alone, by himself. He looked into the clear, radiant blue sky, with the burning golden sun, smiling to himself.
"Even so, I should question his training methods."