A hiss followed by the sound of tearing flesh echoed in the air.
A horned rabbit had just been decapitated by Cliff's blade, its head fell and rolled to the side. Cliff didn't care. Behind him, two more of these creatures were preparing to attack.
He sprinted to the side, narrowly dodging claws aimed at his head. Cliff took a defensive stance, cornered by the relentless attacks of these adversaries. He wanted to create distance, but the beasts gave him no chance.
His hand moved frantically, trying to parry all the attacks, having no option but to rely on luck.
Or… the weather?
It had been nearly a week since Cliff had been brought into this world. He had absorbed a large amount of mana stones in the cave, his stamina had increased significantly. It felt as though he never tired anymore, with almost no need for sleep.
His body was saturated with energy, but having it and knowing how to use it were two different things.
Cliff hunted during the day and absorbed mana in the evenings, storing the essence stones since his body couldn't handle all the energy at once. He was still... human.
For now, he focused, the sound of claws hammering against his saber irritated him. Those were not the sounds he wanted to hear.
Cliff wanted to hear flesh being torn apart beneath his blade, he wanted to hear the cries of his prey in agony. Only then would he feel satisfied, satisfied to unleash his anger for being left behind.
Maybe by doing this, he could feel good? Maybe he could feel… alive?
"To hell with it!!" Cliff cursed his bad luck.
A minute passed. The fight continued, Cliff putting more and more force into his blows. Energy was one thing he wasn't lacking.
He savagely repelled his opponents' attacks. Cliff had gained agility; it was now easy for him to follow the movements of the horned rabbits. His strikes became violent, fast, and precise.
The claws of the rabbits were strong, but they weren't made of steel. Soon enough, they succumbed to Cliff's violent blows.
With a swift movement, his saber changed direction and cleanly severed the head of one of the beasts before it even had time to scream.
Seeing their numbers diminished, Cliff poured all his strength into one final attack. He decided this would be the last.
In a single, swift moment, the creature couldn't keep up with the strike. Its arms, raised in defense, were severed, and its torso was sliced clean, separating it from its lower half.
"Astonishing!" he murmured.
Satisfied, he shook his katana, flinging off the remaining blood.
"I better hurry before that big bear shows up and ruins everything." Cliff muttered.
That "big bear" was a creature Cliff had unknowingly attracted during his first hunt due to the smell of blood. He remembered the terror he felt when their eyes met, forcing him to abandon his prey.
Quickly, he gathered the essence stones. Today's haul was good compared to other days. If they hadn't surrounded him, he would've preferred to face only one or two.
After all, he had just killed five of them.
Cliff slung one of the rabbits over his shoulder and was about to run when a noise echoed through the forest, sending a chill down his spine. Cliff recognized that sound—it was a roar he'd never forget.
The "big bear" was close and on its way.
"Damn… the smell of blood!" Cliff swore.
He ran as fast as he could without looking back, heading straight for his cave. The bear wouldn't be able to follow him there—he had set up several traps in preparation.
After what felt like an eternity, Cliff reached his destination, his heartbeat so loud it drowned out the world around him. Cautiously, he entered the cave that served as his temporary shelter.
A minute later, Cliff was sitting cross-legged. In front of him lay the spoils of war—fifteen essence stones, ten from the horned rabbits and five from slimes he had encountered along the way.
Cliff had already absorbed five of the slime essence stones, but nothing happened. He concluded that his body simply couldn't absorb any more.
He needed to confirm this theory.
Taking one of the stones in his hand, he drained the essence from it. It was a slime essence stone. To his surprise, nothing happened. He tried another… still nothing.
"What the hell is going on?"
When he absorbed the fifth and final slime essence, a mysterious voice startled him.
[You have absorbed a large amount of Slime Essences.]
[Your mana storage capacity has greatly increased.]
[Your sensitivity to mana has increased.]
[Your "Drainage" skill has evolved.]
"Absorbing ten Slimes gave me this? Maybe obtaining abilities isn't as easy as I thought."
Still, Cliff was satisfied. His evolution was going according to plan.
Suppressing a smile, he turned his attention to the task at hand.
One by one, the essence stones from the horned rabbits were absorbed. The process was quick, with far less pain than before.
[You have absorbed a large amount of Horned Rabbit Essences.]
"Ahh, I see… it takes ten!"
Cliff had just absorbed the last one when he heard the voice again. Honestly, it was refreshing. He had been alone for about a week, isolated in a world full of dangerous creatures. His spirit had taken a beating.
The voice continued:
[Your hearing has greatly increased.]
[Your resistance to pain has increased.]
[Your "Pseudo-Transformation" ability has evolved into a "Transformation" ability.]
[Your sensitivity to mana has increased.]
Two things caught Cliff's attention: the transformation ability and his sensitivity to mana. He was eager to understand how they worked.
"If I could transform into any creature I want, that would be a huge strategic advantage."
His mind begged him to try. Standing abruptly, Cliff prepared to test this brilliant idea.
Focusing on a specific creature, Cliff recalled its every feature. He was determined to transform into the creature that had first terrified him in this world.
He wanted to become that large snake. If he succeeded, could he perhaps take on the big bear?
"Transformation!" Cliff shouted.
He focused, waiting for some change in his body… but nothing happened, leaving the young man disappointed.
"Maybe I misunderstood the concept? I know almost nothing about using these abilities… Maybe I'm doing it wrong?"
Closing his eyes, Cliff thought of a horned rabbit, one of the creatures he knew best in this world. After all, he had absorbed its essence.
He focused again and barked:
"Transformation!"
A cloud of smoke enveloped him, and he felt his body change, his humanoid features fading. In a moment, he had transformed into a rabbit with black fur and a horn on his forehead. It was… unsettling.
"Wow, I should practice more often!"
Cliff concluded he could only transform into creatures whose essence he had absorbed.
"That's pretty good… now everything depends on me and the creatures I face in the future."
Returning to his original form, Cliff realized that a significant amount of mana had been consumed during the transformation. But it had been a valuable experience—he had learned more than just how to transform.
With his increased sensitivity, Cliff could feel the mana flowing through his body during the transformation.
Focusing inward, Cliff concentrated on feeling the flow of mana within him. Under his sternum, he sensed a large concentration of mana—like a heart pumping blood through veins, this "Mana Core" circulated energy through his body.
Cliff immediately realized that if he could intentionally direct mana to specific parts of his body, he could surely enhance his physical abilities.
And that's exactly what he planned to do.
Minutes passed, turning into hours. Cliff carefully circulated the mana through his body, and the operation was a success, thanks to his greatly increased sensitivity.
He felt light, his strength, flexibility, and agility heightened considerably. His movements would no longer be limited.
"With this, I might have a chance of surviving in this hellhole," Cliff muttered under his breath.
His concentration was interrupted by a sound comind from the cave corridor.
Was made him shiver was that Cliff instantly knew where the noise was coming from.
It was from the traps he had set.