In an ominous forest, a boy with blazing crimson eyes and a monstrous tortoise many times the size of the boy stood locked in an intense staring competition. The air was thick with tension.
The boy was none other than Alden; he glared at the beast with a fierce expression.
The monster just stared at Alden with its arrogant eyes, not even considering him a threat as it let out a thunderous roar that echoed through the dark forest.
Its yellow eyes radiating with intelligence, and the spikes of its shell glowed with a dangerous glint as if giving warning of the danger it carried.
Alden didn't even flinch at the roar. Instead, his grin widened with reckless excitement.
His shadow flickered at his feet as if responding to his adrenaline.
"Remember me?" he asked, his voice laced with a menace with a hint of excitement. "Even if you don't, I'll make sure to jog your memory."
Whatever doubt was in his mind was being washed away by his bubbling excitement. At this moment he just wanted to fight to his heart's content, to test his limits.
Alden tensed his body preparing to attack the tortoise, but the monster moved first as it lunged forward, not wanting to give its prey any chance.
The ground was trembling with each of its steps as it moved with surprising agility. It quickly arrived near Alden as it whipped its muscular tail towards him.
Alden ducked down, seeing the tail as the tree behind him shattered to pieces by the impact.
The beast seeing Alden in an awkward position quickly fired one of the spikes on his shell.
Alden knew dodging was impossible from that position. In an instant he activated [Shadow Steps], as he reappeared from the tortoise's shadow and slashed at its exposed leg.
His sword struck the tortoise's tough hide barely leaving a small scratch.
The tortoise, although surprised due to its prey suddenly appearing from its shadow, quickly reacted as it fired another spike towards Alden.
Alden smirked as he could clearly see the spike now as he sidestepped to dodge it.
"That's not going to work anymore." He shouted. His face full of confidence.
For the first time since the battle started, seriousness flashed across the tortoise's eyes as it now considered Alden a threat.
The tortoise glared at Alden as it started firing spikes, and this time not one by one but simultaneously.
"F*ck, I thought it could only fire one at a time." Alden cursed as he saw many spikes coming towards him.
He knew he couldn't dodge them all. He quickly used [Shadow Steps] to teleport out of harm's way, but as if controlled by some invisible hand, the spikes changed their trajectory and started following Alden.
The sudden change in direction of spikes caught Alden off guard.
But he quickly regained his composure as he dropped to one knee, pressing his hand into his shadow.
His shadow flickered as if responding to him. It instantly surged upward and solidified into a protective shield that absorbed the incoming spikes.
He felt his mana decreasing rapidly as the spikes slammed into it.
The barrage only stopped after all the spikes from the shell were fired.
Alden quickly retracted his shadow shield as his face was filled with exhaustion and his mana was nearly depleted.
He had several injuries across his body as the shadow shield couldn't protect him completely.
Alden didn't think the monster would be so strong. He had been blinded by his overconfidence.
He didn't survive the first time because the tortoise was weak; he only survived because it was too lazy to take him seriously and spend any more energy attacking him.
He lifted his head to look at the yellow eyes of the beast; its eyes were still full of arrogance as if confident of its victory.
Even now it just stared at Alden as if he were an insignificant bug and it wanted him to struggle more, to entertain it more.
Alden clenched his teeth as he could taste blood in his mouth.His mind raced 'How did I let it come to this?' The battle, his overconfidence, everything was flooding back to him in an instant.
He had been too eager, too sure of himself. His body was screaming in protest, but his mind sharpened.
But just as he was lamenting his overconfidence, the monster attacked him again, this time with its tail, as all of its spikes were gone now.
The tail slammed into Alden as he flew behind and crashed into a tree.
"Focus, I... need to focus." Alden muttered as he coughed up some blood.
He quickly got up ignoring all the pain coursing through his body.
His body was a mess with several injuries and broken bones.
But his gaze never left the tortoise.
He steadied his breathing and gripped his sword tightly, his expression calm and detached from his surroundings.
The previous recklessness and excitement all gone, replaced by a single thought of survival.
[Sub-Skill: Weakness Detection Activated]
"I had one shot." He muttered as he activated [Weakness Detection] as the world around him shifted to blue colour except for one spot on the neck of the tortoise, which blazed in red colour. It was the vital point of the tortoise.
As Alden focused on the vital point, he coated his sword in his shadow. As his sword transformed into a pitch-black colour.
'A single chance—that's all I have, one shot to live or die.'
The tortoise sensing something ominous quickly started rushing towards Alden.
With a burst of energy Alden vanished from his position dissolving in his shadow as he quickly appeared from the shadow of tortoise.
The tortoise's massive head turned too late as Alden's sword, covered in darkness, struck its neck.
The shadow-coated sword sliced through its flesh and bone effortlessly as dark blood erupted in a sickening arc.
The tortoise staggered as the blow hit, and for a moment, it seemed frozen in time, before its massive form finally collapsed to the ground.
The tortoise, the ruler of this forest had finally met its end. Its arrogant eyes were now wide with disbelief.
Alden stood over the collapsed body of tortoise covered in blood from head to toe. His breathing was rough and uneven, his mana completely depleted.
Alden staggered , barely able to stand straight.
He looked at the lifeless body of tortoise before him, its dark blood pooled around its massive form.
As a faint smile appeared across his bloodied face. "I won," he whispered hoarsely, his voice barely audible.
The fight had changed him. He was no longer reckless, no longer naive. He had survived..
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