Blood splattered onto the greenery as Abel took a step back, bewilderment veiling his mind. The frenzied monster rampaged across the forest, annihilating all it came across, blue fire exhaling from its nostrils with each breath.
Abel's body hit a huge tree, the impact shaking his bones. He gasped—not because of pain, but because of shock.
He wasn't flattened.
He had dodged the charge of the beaThe thought hit him like lightning. He had kicked himself backward with so much force that he had collided with the tree *by himself*.
His strength…
It had altered.
Collecting his thoughts, he breathed deeply and evaluated his state.
"Did I… acquire some sort of power?" he said to himself, chuckling.
Cleaning the blood from the corner of his mouth, he could feel his heart racing. With each beat, his body lightened, his limbs tingling with fresh energy. A slow smile spread across his lips.
"I don't know how strong you are, but I think I can hold you, foul beast."
A smoky blue haze had just started to emanate from his body, though he was unaware of it.
Across the clearing, the creature, having completed its rampage, finally faced him.
*ROAAARRR!*
The fire-wyrm growled a thunderous roar, screeching its hooves against the dirt, readying itself to attack once again.
Abel narrowed his eyes. "It seems I really have gotten stronger."
The creature charged, its massive body hurtling across the ground like an avalanche come alive. This time, though, Abel was not unprepared.
He stabilized himself, observing closely.
The monster's acceleration—
Then—
Suddenly a blaze of fire burst from its nostrils, covering its whole body in flames.
*"Oh… shi—"*
The fire engulfed everything around it, covering the space in a blaze of fire. Abel didn't have time to think. He needed to get moving—
No choice. He had to charge into it.
When the flames swept in, Abel dropped low, muscles tensed—
And leaped.
His body lurched forward, his target in sight: the monster's head. If he could employ it as a foothold, he might pick up even more speed.
But then—
As his foot struck the beast's skull, something strange occurred.
Rather than sensing the solid crash of bone—
The beast's head *slumped forward*.
The raw power of Abel's step had pushed the monster's head into the earth, causing deep cracks underneath.
Abel's eyes went wide with shock.
"Damn… when did I get so strong?"
Jumping down softly, he instinctively lifted his hands, flexing his fingers as if he was trying to comprehend what just occurred.
That's when he saw it.
"Huh…?"
His body was radiating.
A soft blue light glowed upon his skin, throbbing as if alive with an aura. But before he could even take it in, gravity took a hold of him.
He smirked.
"Well… since it's come to this, no harm in testing it out."
The beast lay still, having been momentarily shocked from the force of the fall.
Abel didn't lose the chance.
Grasping his fist tight, he put all his effort into his arm.
"Shame… I wanted to shoot at its head."
He was halfway through the air—too distant to alter course. Instead, his aim would be the beast's enormous midsection.
Dropping fast, he prepared himself—
*BANG!*
The clearing was shaken by a thunderous crash.
Blood burst from the monster's body, spraying through the air like a red fountain. The impact of Abel's blow warped the creature's form out of shape, its flesh tearing from the strength of the attack.
The previously ferocious beast jerked, its body spasming before it went limp.
Abel stood in the midst of the slaughter, slightly panting.
He gazed at his own hands.
"What the hell.?"
A look of wonder and puzzlement crossed his face.
"What grade was that fruit…?"
If it had given him *this* sort of power, then.
His heart racing as a thought occurred.
Could my dantian have been restored?
The chance gave him a shiver. If his dantian really had been fixed, then this was just the tip of the iceberg.
He was about to sit down and examine his inner state when something caught his eye.
In the pool of blood before him—
His reflection.
Hazy, distorted, but unmistakable.
Something… was floating behind him.
A ring.
Not just any ring—a mystical, glowing circle, hovering just behind his back like a divine halo.
Abel's breath hitched.
"What the hell is that?"
He quickly took a step nearer, gazing at his own face in amazement.
The ring was a ghostly blue, shimmering with otherworldly symbols, something he had never laid eyes on.
"Did I get this from the fruit?"
It reminded him of wizardly trinkets from his previous life's stories and programs.
"It looks cool… but what's its purpose?"
Curiosity burned in his chest.
"Is there a way to control it?"
He reached back, attempting to grasp it—
His fingers passed through.
"Tch."
Frowning, he tried something else.
"Come to me!"
Nothing.
"Move!"
Still nothing.
"Arise!"
Silence.
His frustration mounted until suddenly—
His eyes widened in realization.
"Wait… why didn't I think of that before?"
Slapping his hands together, he breathed in deeply.
First things first—he needed a place to hide.
Looking around, he rapidly scanned the area. The cave he had been hiding in previously was blown up, and he was out in the open.
"Damn it. Where do I hide?"
For what felt like minutes, he couldn't find anything—until his eyes landed on the crumbled entrance of the cave.
Snuggled within the debris was a tiny crevice.
A fraction big enough for a man.
"No choice."
Without pause, he ran to it.
The room was claustrophobic, and he had to move on hands and knees. Stones cut into his arms, but he continued forward, fueled by curiosity and urgency.
At last, he fit into a tight, walled space under the rock.
Shaded by faint light penetrating through crevices, Abel breathed deeply and steadied his pounding heart.
Then—
He shut his eyes.
Allowing his mind to drop inside, he extended his reach toward the depths of his awareness.
And entered his divine space.