Okay. Maybe long was an exaggeration.
The thing was short. Shorter than his little general.
But hey, it was a start.
Throwing that small thing on the ground, Kaden closed his eyes and tried again.
A few minutes and several tries later, he yelped as something tugged painfully at his palm. Before he could blink, a twisting green bramble burst from his fingertips, unfurling like a living whip.
Its surface gleamed with savage-looking thorns, each sharpened to a tiny point. The vine snapped once in the air, then swayed in silent menace, droplets of sap dripping from the barbs.
For a heartbeat, Kaden simply stared, uncomprehending.
The next second, a system message flashed in front of him breaking his trance.
[Ding! You have learned a new skill Thorn Whip]
Kaden's eyes widened at the words hovering in the air. He was still half-stunned by the bramble thrashing around at his command, its barbs gleaming with fresh droplets of sap. He felt a surge of mingled panic and triumph roil in his chest.
How many times had he been tortured with this same technique in his past life? Now it was his to command.
"Thorn Whip…" he murmured, flexing his fingers. The vine twitched in response, as though it, too, were listening.
Thorn Whip (Active):
Manifest a short, vine-like whip with razor-sharp thorns. Inflicts physical and poison damage. Range, durability, and potency scale with user's level and control.
Kaden swallowed thickly. The skill was okay but it was not what he was looking forward to the most. He needed what came next.
"Now for the second part…" He mumbled looking around. If he remembered correctly, there should be a herd of wild boars hanging out somewhere around here.
Kaden took off, darting between moss-laden trunks and dodging gnarled roots half-buried in the forest floor. He ran purely on adrenaline, his mind buzzing with possibilities for what might come next. A murder of crows cawed overhead, as if mocking his frantic pace; the forest around him was a chaotic chorus of snapping twigs and rustling leaves.
Even so, the burning desire to push forward never left him. He needed more strength, more levels—now, before something bigger and meaner found him first. Thorn Whip might be a neat trick, but it was hardly the grand secret he sought.
A trace of boar tracks soon appeared in the mud: hoofprints leading deeper into the gloom of ancient oaks. Kaden skidded to a halt, catching his breath. His heart pounded so loudly he wondered if it would scare the very beasts he was hunting.
His left palm still tingled from conjuring that vicious vine, a faint imprint of magic pulsing just beneath his skin. I have it in me now, he told himself, pressing his hand against his thigh. They won't know what hit them.
He followed the tracks, creeping low to the ground and using the leafy cover for concealment. After a few minutes, a faint snorting and scraping filtered through the woods. Carefully, he inched closer. Sure enough, several wild boars milled about an overgrown clearing, rooting at the earth for worms and acorns. They were lean but strong, their tusks jutting out wickedly.
Kaden's breath caught in his throat. He could practically taste the surge of mana from leveling up again—right on the other side of this fight.
He steadied himself, adrenaline coursing hot and fast through his veins. This time, he thought, the hunter is me.
He zeroed in on a mid-sized boar at the edge of the herd. Its flank was unprotected, so if he struck fast, he might bring it down before the others rallied.
And if he managed that, maybe the rest would flee. Or they might charge me en masse, he admitted silently, a bead of sweat trailing down his temple. No more second-guessing.
Now.
He exploded from cover like a spring uncoiled, grass scattering beneath his feet. The nearest boar's head snapped up, eyes widening in alarm.
Before it could squeal, Kaden flung out his left hand. A rush of mana surged through his veins, and Thorn Whip materialized in a snapping arc of vine.
The bramble hissed through the air—crack!—and scored a deep gouge along the boar's flank. It reared, tusks lashing as it let out a furious squeal.
Pain blossomed across the creature's eyes. He yanked the whip back, readying the next strike.
Behind him, the other boars squealed in alarm. One of them stomped its hooves, muscles rippling with raw power. Kaden gulped—taking on multiple beasts at once could be a death sentence.
But he already had a plan for that. Finish the first one fast, he told himself, rearing back the whip again.
A second snap cracked across the boar's shoulder, drawing more blood. It stumbled, squealing in fury, and lunged for Kaden. Razor-sharp tusks whizzed past his thigh as he twisted aside, barely avoiding a lethal goring. His heart hammered.
The swirling bramble had begun to feel heavier as if it was draining him. The boar, for its part, was far from finished—just wounded enough to be desperate.
Thud! Hooves pounded the ground behind him. Another boar was charging straight at his exposed back. Kaden threw himself into a sideways roll, losing his grip on Thorn Whip in the process. The vine didn't vanish, but it sagged limply, no longer under precise control.
"Damn it!" he hissed, scrambling to his knees. The boar he'd initially targeted pawed at the earth, leaving a bloody smear, while the second one lowered its head for another charge.