Footsteps hitting the ground, the crackling of leaves underfoot and the sound of controlled breathing. I was running through the forest with a practiced and experienced ease, far ahead of me was one of the baits I had placed on a previous day in order to lure a mana beast. I needed some more meat, my previous stock and almost ran dry at this point.
I slowed down my run into a walk and slowly approached where I had laid my bait. I calmly pulled my machete out of the sheath that I had made for it one year ago. I snuck up right behind the mana beast that was currently nose deep in the pile of berries that I had harvested. My breath was held, my mind was clear of any thoughts and I was as silent as possible as I raised my blade up behind the beast.
With one swift motion I stabbed my machete, which had built up many chips over the past two years, straight through the back of the throat of the beast. I knew that it would resist and quickly ran away before I could get caught by the wounded beast. It was bigger than the beast I had originally killed all those years ago, it was a wolflike mana beast. Its eyes locked onto my body intimidatingly but I knew the wolf wouldn't last, it would lose its strength in a few seconds and die soon after that.
The wolf jumped at me with as much might as its body could muster, the speed was impressive but nothing I hadn't seen before. I dodged to the left and raised my arms to protect myself just in case. The beast tried to snap its jaws at me, but I hit its nose with a clean elbow. The wolf fell to the ground with a whimper and struggled to stand for a few moments before succumbing to its injuries and passing on. I pulled my machete from its neck and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise, there was something wrong.
Without hesitation I turned around as fast as I could to check behind my back, it was too late though. There was a second wolf and for some reason it had waited until this very moment in order to strike. I swiftly attempted to dodge to the right and redirect the wolf by hitting its head to the left with my left hand.
I missed the hit.
Well, not completely, but my hand was in a very compromised position. Four of my fingers were wrapped around the nose of the beast but my thumb was in its mouth right in between its teeth.
Fuck.
I needed to kill it right now, if I let it bite off my thumb and still had to fight it, my capabilities would be greatly hindered by the pain. My right hand moved faster than it ever had before, holding a machete that was swiftly driven towards the second wolf's throat. I felt the piercing of flesh from my blade being driven into the beast at the same time as I felt a massive pain in my thumb. As soon as the beast had been stabbed, I let go of the machete and pushed the beast away as well as I could. The maneuver left some space between me and the beast, I swiftly created more space between us with a few quick steps back. The wolf prepared for its final stand and positioned itself for a jump towards my neck.
The adrenaline had prevented the pain from hindering me too much, I needed to parry this bite and I would win. I raised my arms and readied my legs to dodge just a fraction of a second before the beast had jumped. It leapt with more force than the first wolf but I kept up with it and swiftly moved to the left. My right hand went to the machete lodged into the beast's neck, which I firmly gripped and used to redirect the beast.
I had won.
I let the feeling of satisfaction and exhilaration rush through me as the second wolf had laid limp on the ground of the grassy grove we had fought to the death in. The adrenaline died down after a minute or so, the pain from my bleeding nub of a thumb was becoming unbearable. I hadn't felt this way in a few months, the last time had been when I barely managed to escape from a mana beast that I believe had reached the red stage. Those things were insane, I don't understand how us mere humans are able to stand up to them. I suppose I would be able to fight them once I awakened but that has taken longer than I planned.
It had been two years since I had entered this world, and yet I was only half way towards forming my mana core. At the very least I would still be forming my mana core the second earliest ever recorded for a human, or third if Elanor Leywin has already awakened.
The pain from my hand broke me out of my thoughts, I quickly dressed the wound with rags I kept on my person for this purpose. I got injured a lot after all. It really was going to be a pain to deal with not having a thumb on my left hand, at the very least I wouldn't have too much trouble since it was my non-dominant hand.
I let out a sigh and walked a few hundred meters away from where I had fought, I left a stash of rope to help me carry my prey home before I had approached. I walked back to the beasts, calmly tied them together and hung them on my back in a fashion similar to a backpack and began walking back to the city.
It truly must've been a comical sight, a seven year old kid walking with two dead mana beasts on his back. I smiled slightly and continued walking.
I needed to see my teacher.
[AN: Timeskip time finally! Still no mana core, I felt that I needed more time to flesh out his character while he was weak. What are your guy's thoughts on how I handled the time skip?]