The next morning, after my first night in the cave, I felt calm in a strange way. I didn't have any more muscle pain, and I felt lighter than I had in days. It was nice to feel the cool, wet air of the cave on my skin for a moment, and I just let myself breathe. I didn't know what to do, though, as I sat there and stared at the weak sunlight that was coming into the cave. It wasn't enough to just kill these smaller monsters. Their mana cores were helpful at first, but now they nearly give anything. I need to approach this differently. I need to master mana control. If I could transfer my energy from my car through my dagger with the similar technique I use to create fire, I could manifest my core energy into my dagger, making it deadlier. I took a quick look at the dagger that was lying next to me. I closed my eyes and picked up the knife. It felt heavy in my hand. I looked inside myself to find the light hum of energy I knew was there. I took a deep breath and imagined that energy flowing from my heart to my arm, then to my hand, and finally to the blade. There was nothing at first. The dagger stayed still and dead in my hand. I was getting frustrated, but I pushed it down and kept trying. Over time, I felt a faint warmth and a light pulse of energy going through my blood. I held on to it and pushed it out toward the blade. Along the blade of the, a soft glow flickered. It was weak and unsteady, but it was there. The blade lightly vibrated in my hand, as if it were reacting to the power I was giving it. It wasn't much, but it was a start. I let out a sharp breath and smiled a little. "This is a wonderful start," I muttered.
I forgot how many days, weeks, or even years had passed. It took all of its time to hunt, not for cores but for control. I fought for hours and killed wolves, goblins, snakes, and birds with my razor-sharp claws. Each kill made me sharper, and each fight made it easier for me to focus my energy on my dagger. At first, the power went out all the time, which was rough on me, but I kept going. I slowly took charge, and as I learned to control the flow of energy, the blade started to glow a little with frost, then fire. Little by little I was able to flow my energy through it naturally.
While I was doing my daily training, a roar came from the direction of the pond where I usually drink water from.
The roar came from nowhere. It was a loud scream that echoed through the forest like the growl of a primordial god. It felt like the ground was shaking under me, and even the air sound got louder.
I stopped moving, and my hand wrapped tighter around the handle of my weapon. It looked like the forest around me was holding its breath. Birds flew off from the trees in a flurry of cries, flapping their wings quickly as they ran away. Something scary was about to happen, because even the nearby streams stopped moving. It wasn't very far, whatever it was. When I turned toward the sound, a mix of fear and a desire drew me forward.Even though my gut told me to run, I ignored it. There was no longer any means of running away. I couldn't if I wanted to stay alive in this world. It got fewer trees as I got closer. The twisted branches of the trees gave way to a wide-open space ringed by rough cliffs. It was split down the middle by a small creek. The water in the creek sparkled a little in the dim light of the sky. The ground was covered with broken rocks and trees that had been torn out during a fight. Then I saw them.There were three huge monsters in the open, and their sheer size made the ground look small. Each was fighting the other, and their blows were shaking the ground. The first was a hydra, a huge snake-like animal with three heads that could snap. The emerald-green scales sparkled with a shiny sheen, and every movement caught the dim light. Its teeth were full of poison, and when it hit the ground, it sizzled and made small craters. The second was an ogre, a huge, wild creature whose steps seemed to shake the earth. It had mossy green skin that was pulled tight over its swollen muscles, and its bloodshot red eyes were filled with wild anger. It had a huge stone club in its hands that looked like it could crush a small rock. The third was a hybrid, which is a horrible mix of two different animals.Its body was huge, like a lion's, and its golden fur had a faint, fiery glow to it. Two snarling heads snapped at their enemies, their red eyes burning with anger. Its back had two leathery wings that looked like bat wings. They were strong enough to send gusts of wind howling through the open. Its tail moved back and forth like a snake, and the stinger at the end was dripping with a bright green poison. I got down on my knees behind a group of rocks and watched the chaos happen. As I thought about my choices, my mind was racing. I could wait for them to kill each other, then kill the ones that were left and take their hearts. It was the smart and safe thing to do. But then again, when was the last time I was smart about these things? I took a deep breath, fixed my dagger, and moved forward.
The chimera charged at me from above, its claws spread wide, ready to tear me apart. I automatically rolled to the side and just barely avoided getting hit by it. That was when the giant swung its huge club, hitting me so quickly that I barely had time to think. I desperately crossed my arms to block the blow, but it sent me flying through the air and into a nearby rock. broken into pieces, and before I could get back up, the chimera attacked. It swung its many heads at me with poisonous teeth, and each attack came faster than I could block. I parried and dodged with my dagger, but the constant attack was too much for me to handle. Then the camera saw an opportunity, so it jumped at me again from above, this time with its claws aimed at my chest. I jumped backwards to dodge, but the hydra was already thinking its next move. It slammed me with its tail while I dodged the strike from the camera. It threw me into a tree on the other side of the creek. The giant ogre sees a chance, jumps into the fight, and swings its club at me. I hardly had time to respond, but I did a backflip and just missed getting hit. The giant swung its club again, and this time harder. But I was able to dodge it easily. With its last strike, I was able to get on top of it at the club. That made him angry; it made him so angry that the other two beasts wouldn't come near the ogre. They kept their distance. The ogre got even angrier and hit its club over and over on the ground, creating cracks in the ground, but I stayed on top of it. On its last swing, it finally threw me into the air. When the chimera saw the opening, it charged, but I twisted my body in the midair and used my body's momentum to land on top of its back. I poured my ice energy into my dagger and felt it hum with power as I sank it deep into the chimera's spine. The beast let out one last, pained roar before turning into the ice sculpture while falling in midair and shattering on the ground. Grabbing its core, I bit into it, letting the energy surge through me while pointing my dagger at the hydro. The hydra's heads lashed out, regenerating faster than I could strike. I channeled the fiery energy of my core into the dagger, its blade glowing red-hot. Each slash burned through the hydra's regeneration, the flames consuming its flesh faster than it can regenerate. One by one, all the heads fell, and then, with a single strike in the heart, turn the hydrant to ashes.
When the ogre saw the others fall, he gave up. Its bright red eyes flashed back and forth between me and the broken pieces of the chimera and hydra. Its huge stone club got even tighter as fear flashed across its horrifying face. Then it turned around and started running without notice. Its heavy steps shook the ground below. "Oh no, you don't," I said quietly as I tightened my hold on my dagger. I could feel my core's icy energy rushing through me, stronger and colder than ever. The power in the dagger in my hand hummed, and a bright blue glow shot out from it. Frost was forming along its edge. Focusing all the energy I could muster, I clenched my teeth. As I raised the blade high, the air around me got cold, and rows of frost formed on the ground. The glow spread out and twisted into the shape of a huge sword made of energy and pure frost. The ogre's big, heavy steps slowed down when it felt the air change. It turned around and saw the blade sparkling with a light from another world. Its red eyes were wide with fear. I swung down with a roar, and the huge frost blade cut through the air like a thunderclap. The impact of the hit was very strong. The cold energy spread out like a blast and froze everything it touched. The ogre's huge body stopped moving in the middle of a step, and its muscles locked up as frost covered it completely. It stood there still for a moment, a huge figure made of ice. Then, with a loud crack, the frozen ogre broke into a million pieces that flew across the clearing like sharp pieces of glass. The hit was so strong that it made a deep hole in the ground, and the air around me was still frosty. As I stumbled forward, the glow from the knife faded because I was tired. My muscles were shaking from being so tired that I could barely breathe. The ogre's broken body glittered in the dim light, and its core gave off a faint glow among the cold pieces. As I grabbed the core, I fell to my knees and reached for it. As I took it in, the energy rushed through me and mixed with the other cores I had claimed. As the power inside me calmed, I looked back at the damage I had done. There were pieces of broken ice and ash all over the area, and the ground was scarred from the fight. I fully knew how much power I had gained and how dangerous it was for the first time. I got up, even though I was shaking. I was stronger than ever. "I am okay. I am ready, I muttered as I returned to my cave.