The ice blade pierced Night Ripper's skull through and through. The weapon's natural freezing effect froze the wound, preventing the fountain of blood. The corpse fell with a thud. The lone monster wasn't the only victim. Including him, eight bodies lay at the base of the tree of ten shadows.
All of them were killed in the same way to minimize the bloody footprints.
This was a very wise move; fresh blood attracted new predators. On a hunting trip alone, fighting a group of monsters was like signing own death sentence.
The young man removed the ice weapon from the monster's body. His black, silver-tipped hair moved in the cool breeze, and amethyst eyes looked at the mountain of corpses.
If one looked into them, one would see coldness and death.
The man sighed.
" That's enough for now, don't you think? " - His voice was directed to the small fairy lying on the man's head.
" We have too much. " - The fairy replied eagerly.
The man looked longingly into the lush forest of gray trees. Avi understood his intentions and pulled a strand of hair.
" Don't even think about it! You can barely kill an adult Night Ripper, and there should be hundreds of them. Not to mention other creatures. " - The fairy protested firmly, voicing her objection.
The man turned a resigned gaze.
" It's only a matter of time, Avi... Give me another month. I will rebuild the mana reserves, and then... the whole forest will be mine. " - There was a devious glint in the man's eyes briefly. Ramiel was arrogant and confident. Even overconfident. The fairy hoped that this wouldn't become the cause of his undoing. After all, disregarding the abyss is the first of the red flags.
" To do that, you would have to focus on training, not sleeping with Asme! " - Avi's cheeks filled with air. The fairy looked like a squirrel gathering acorns for the winter.
" Oh? Someone here is jealous? " - A devious smile appeared on the man's face.
" Phew, in your dreams! "
Ramiel only laughed under his breath. Walking away, he hid the monsters' corpses in the space ring, along with two fruits growing on the tree. In the early stages of dungeon development, every resource, even monster carcasses, is at a premium.
With an aching heart, he took one last look at the distant forest before heading back to the dungeon. No matter how the former hunter looked at it, Avi was right. He's still too weak...
He was already risking a lot by going on a solo hunt, but it was the fastest way to restore lost monster cores and the most lucrative. Unfortunately, there was no better alternative.
Hunting herbivores was stubborn. Ever since he began exterminating them for meat, a large number of warriors had appeared on the frontier. Playing cat and mouse with them was tiring, and the energy provided by their cores was negligible.
For these reasons, the choice fell on the Night Rippers. Fighting young individuals was schematic and simple, and the cores contained more energy. If an adult individual appeared, Ramiel had countermeasures in place for that.
Besides, one adult posed no threat to him. He could handle two as well. Ramiel's rich experience acted like a demonic sword, destroying everything in the path of a razor-sharp blade.
The problem arose with three adult Rippers. Ramiel's mana reserves are poor, and they aren't enough to fight three monsters simultaneously.
The man did his best to increase his mana reserves, but it was a slow and tedious process. Without a sufficiently strong body, he couldn't speed up. He could only be patient and wait...
The dense forest that caught Ramiel's attention was the home of the Night Rippers. He spotted many valuable resources there, but they were closely guarded by monsters.
Their number fluctuated around three hundred. At least, that's what he thinks. But there were other creatures in the forest besides the overgrown cats.
Together, they formed an unshakable ecosystem. An alien variable like Ramiel could shatter the fragile harmony and bring chaos.
To maintain balance, the forest was hostile to strangers. Avi was aware of this, so she tried her best to delay Ramiel's expedition. But the former hunter had a different opinion.
The Night Ripper's Forest is currently the only source of valuable resources for the dungeon. It seems essential for further development, and further exploration is inevitable. Just look at the other segments of the abyss.
The lake doesn't have any monsters. Tasty fish, Ramiel doesn't count as deadly beasts. The area with rabbits couldn't satisfy their needs. Aside from food and a few medicinal plants, there was nothing there.
Hunting The Dead Gnu isn't profitable. The Mandragor cave... better to forget about it for now.
Only the area with infirnyt crystals remains, but a mutant guards it... a very strong mutant. For his own sake, the former hunter didn't think about him for now. Although… Ramiel had an idea of how to neutralize the monster. But for that, he needed a better weapon. Without it, at most, he could scratch the scorpion's back.
True, he had a spatial ring with him, but the weakest weapon required at least 50 points of strength from him. He could forget about the rest for now. His only hope lay in the new caves.
~~~~~~
At the same time, Felix was engrossed in collecting medicinal herbs in the rabbit cave. With their help, healing wounds would become much easier. The healer had to be very careful not to overdo it. If he took too many of them, producing a new batch of plants would take ages.
The situation was similar with rabbits. Ramiel didn't kill them just for this reason. When their number exceeds a hundred, culling will begin. Too many ear monsters could harm the ecosystem.
There were four goblins guarding Felix. The green monsters just took turns on guard duty.
This was the system for them. Two guarded the skeleton while the rest could focus on training.
Ramiel's abilities inspired them all. They all trained from the fight with the adult Night Ripper until they were out of breath. The image of the former, wrapped in glory after murdering a stronger enemy, was still vivid in the heads of the Goblins and motivated them to work hard.
Since the green creatures had evolved, their intelligence had increased. This made them understand how fragile and worthless their lives were. To preserve it, they had to become stronger otherwise they would end up as cannon meat. They still remembered the sad state of their former comrade. His suffering had taken quite a toll on them.
Rascal didn't want such a fate. For this, he started training, and the rest naturally followed him.
~~~~~~
Several hours later. Ramiel sat comfortably on the skin of The Dead Gnu next to the campfire. From time to time, one of the skeletons added wood to the fire. Opposite the man sat Asme and Caera. The women listened intently to the former hunter's teachings. He had just conducted another mandatory lesson on mana and other elements.
Ramiel's lectures proved to be very helpful. The women deepened their knowledge of mana and the mechanisms behind it.
Their progress, which had been stagnant for some time, moved slowly forward. A gifted lecturer played a big role in this. After all, it was much easier to be led by the hand to the goal than to wander around with a dark blindfold on.
" As for mana, we'll stop there for now. You have already mastered the necessary basics, we will move on with the rest later." - The former hunter paused while building suspense. Now, let's move on to the elements.
"
Hearing the mention of the elements, Asme's tail wagged dynamically. She had been standing still for a long time. No matter what method she used, she couldn't move forward.
The horned beauty had asked Ramiel for help earlier, but he had refused. First, she had to delve into mana-related secrets. Fortunately, Asme is one of the most indulgent students. She quickly mastered the necessary attitudes and was finally able to move on to the next step.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, looking forward to it. Ramiel considered it quite charming.
" Understanding the spell, as well as the element it is based on, is essential for any warrior. Greater understanding directly correlates to better results and lower costs. " - Ramiel checked for understanding and continued. "If you assimilate the knowledge properly, the spell becomes a skill. The skill is easier to use and requires less mana...
"
" The right level of understanding of the element allows you to implement it in different spells. The process isn't simple. It requires structural reconstruction of the spell, as well as an understanding of it. " - Ramiel looked at the women. This was the time to ask questions.
" So this master took so much time to teach us about mana? " - Caera spoke up, stroking the white snake. Sarron hissed happily, the traitor obviously enjoying it.
" Yes, this is the knowledge necessary for further development. Returning to the topic, the elements are divided into four basic, and all the rest. The basic ones include fire, water, earth, and wind. At some point, to go further, our understanding of the basic elements must reach a certain threshold. Once it is reached, they merge into what we call the base. This allows us to move forward. "
Seeing the women's faces, Ramiel got ahead of them by answering unspoken questions.
" I honestly have no idea why this is happening. Many clever minds have thought about it, but no one has come up with a reasonable solution. There are hundreds of thousands of theories, but most are senseless. "
" As for understanding the element. It is different for every being. I can't help you much with that. At most, I can share my insights on the subject and what I have achieved in the field.
"
" Take the triangle, for example. Asme creates it using ice. "
In a moment, several ice particles appeared in the air. Together with the passage of time, they became larger and larger, slowly forming a triangle.
" Is that enough? " - Asme sought Ramiel's approval and found it in a simple nod.
" Now it's my turn. " - The mana around the man moved. Three lazy ribbons of mana emerged from his body. They joined together to form the skeleton of a triangle. Within seconds, the mana ribbons turned into ice.
" I already understand! " - Asme exclaimed, experiencing enlightenment. Her pupils dilated, and her eyes sparkled. " Master cannot help us in the same way as with mana. Understanding is individual to each being. It consists of their individual interpretations and thoughts. If it were possible, the person's reasoning would have to be taken over, which is impossible. "
" Not bad. " - Ramiel nodded with appreciation.
" Thank you, master. Don't you think I deserve a reward? ~ " Asme looked at Ramiel with restrained but very enticing eyes. In the meantime, the material covering her private parts "accidentally" revealed a little too much.
Caera blushed while fleeing with her eyes. She has wanted to talk to Ramiel for days, but her faint confidence and shy nature pose an insurmountable obstacle for the elfess.
The horned beauty cruelly took advantage of her friend's disposition and teased her at every possible opportunity. This was partly due to a lack of entertainment and partly due to women's nature. Although they never admit it, women subconsciously try to lower the value of rivals in the eyes of their partners. This is how their instinct works.
Fortunately, Ramiel came to the rescue. He created ice cubes and showered Asme, who was having a good time. The horned beauty squealed in surprise. She didn't expect such a sneak attack!
The former hunter did it on purpose. He didn't like the way Asme was laughing at Caera. The succubus knew how shy the elfess was and knew her ulterior motives.
Only a fool wouldn't have guessed that the woman had feelings for Ramiel.
The man hadn't made a move until now because he wanted Ceara to do so.
This was to help, in the development of her personality. Her behavior was cute and charming, but it meant certain death on the battlefield. The elfess taking the initiative was to be a milestone in her development.
" Aaa! This is cold! Stop it, I will take revenge! " - After a few minutes, Asme was buried under the ice cubes. Ramiel just wanted to give her a simple lesson so he didn't exaggerate too much.
" And how do you like your reward ? " - The man quipped. However, he didn't live to see an answer. The horned beauty was silent as the grave...
" Asme ? " - As before, Ramiel was greeted by silence.
' Maybe she got heat shock? ' - Avi suggested.
' Heat shock? Free jokes. She is an ice element user. ' - Ramiel snorted. He had already guessed what Asme had planned.
' 'So... this is a trap! ' - Avi exclaimed enthusiastically. ' 'Will you turn out to be a heartless monster, or will you get caught saving a damsel in distress? '
Ramiel shook head, amused. The trap was obvious, but sometimes, you have to lose the battle to win the war.
The man feigned fear and moved toward the pile of ice. When Ramiel was in at arm's length, a slender hand shot out from the pile of frosty cubes, pulling him in.
" Hehe, and how do you like it? " - The woman was proud of the sly trap, but something didn't sit right with Ramiel's behavior. Instead of writhing under the ice, he was smiling?
" Oh... Is inviting a predator into the house really such a good plan? " - Ramiel's hands found their way around Asme's waist. His nimble fingers danced over the woman's skin, making her laugh.
" Noooo! Haha, Stop it! Hahaha, I won't anymore haha! " - The horned beauty laughed at the top of her lungs, begging for mercy. However, the former hunter was a soulless executioner.
Asme's terror ended only after fifteen minutes. She lay in a puddle of water, panting heavily. Ramiel was too cruel. He used the world's most dangerous weapon against her. Such behavior deserves revenge, but for now, Asme decided to let it go. A wise commander knows when to leave a fallen camp.
It's strange, but the ex-hunter enjoyed these little interactions between them. At first he treated them as something necessary to maintain a positive relationship and forced himself into them, but now it was different, he enjoyed them.
At least then, he wasn't thinking about Samantha. Asme proved to be a good distraction.
When the horned beauty came to her senses, Ramiel helped her with the ice element. He taught her everything he knew, listened to the theory, and shared his insights.
Finally, Ramiel gave Asme the Frost Touch Lily. She, hearing what it was used for, accepted the plant with a smile. However, her joy didn't last long. The horned beauty didn't know how she was supposed to use the flower. With hope written in his eyes, he looked at Ramiel questioningly.
" Pour a thin trickle of mana into it. It should undergo a change inside the flower flower and then return to you. In your case, it can help you understand the ice element more deeply. " - Ramiel said this casually as if it were something trivial.
" Master, thank you for the gift, but you will find it more useful. " - Asme humbly handed the flower to Ramiel. But he refused the woman's offer.
" Huh? These lotus flowers are too weak for me."
Asme was shocked. She forgot what kind of monster she was dealing with for a moment. Feeling a bit of embarrassment in her gullet, she didn't pursue the subject further and retreated to a quiet corner.
Now having Asme out of the way, Ramiel took care of Caera. A few days earlier, he had promised to help the elfess master some darkness spells for close-range combat. The time had come to fulfill the promise.
Although Caera knew and had used archery-related darkness spells before, now she couldn't learn any based on fighting at closer range. She had to start with the weaker rank of shadow spells.
This isn't at all strange or surprising. One could say that this is the natural order of things. The shadow element was the basis for the darkness element. When the understanding of the shadow element reaches a certain degree, it turns into a darkness element.
By analogy, it works the same way with spells. If someone is unable to learn darkness spells, it starts from the lower shelf of shadow. Together with a greater understanding of the spells and the element, they transform into darkness spells.
Caera had already reached a certain degree, in understanding the element of darkness, but the spells for close combat were too difficult for her.
After several hours, Caera formed the first two spells. They were Shadow Spikes and Shadow Chains. These spells were weaker versions of Ramiel's skills. They required the presence of shadows and were easy to destroy. But it's always better than nothing.
If the elfess worked hard, they would turn into darkness spells.
To speed up the process, Ramiel handed the woman a fruit from the tree of ten shadows. The fruit could have directly transformed the spell or helped her understand it better, but there was little chance of that.