Hmm...Was I dreaming, it was just very real?’

Vincent thought to himself. He opened his eyes and faced the wooden ceiling. He sat on the bed while his eyes wandered and he yawned.

"You are awake, good."

He heard Randolph's voice coming from his side, turned, and saw him standing by the door next to the bed.

"What’s good about that?"

He complained a little; it's clear that he is still tired from yesterday.

"Okay, it doesn't matter.Come on, get up and follow me."

After saying that, Randolph left and went out of the hut.

‘Yes, it was a dream... I didn't expect to dream about that today. Alright, it doesn't matter anyway.’

Vincent got up from the bed and followed Randolph.

He rubbed his eyes as he walked behind Randolph, who was wearing a gray robe and had hair of the same color that reached his neck. Randolph glanced behind him but returned his gaze to the front.

"I noticed that you have completed strengthening your skin; good job, but it's not enough."

Randolph said that in his usual stern voice.

"What do you mean by ‘ not enough’?"

" not important.The important thing now is to focus on what you need to do."

Vincent raised his eyebrow, and from what he said, it seems they won't be going to that square.

"What are we going to do?"

Vincent said that with enthusiasm.

"During the process of creating the spiritual palace, there are some difficulties, one of which is that a person must have a strong will, so they do not tire or give up halfway. Therefore, you need to strengthen your body and will before creating the spiritual palace, and there is only one way to strengthen them, which is through deadly combat with enemies. There are no people to kill you in the North Moon forest, so we will rely on wild animals."

Vincent was a little surprised.

"In other words, we will hunt!."

"Ah...Yes, you will hunt, I will not do anything."

Vincent didn't say anything, but the anticipation could be seen in his eyes.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

...

After a short walk, they arrived at a place in the forest, surrounded by trees on all sides, while the sounds of the wind and birds could be heard everywhere.

“ alright. hmm... Where he could be. oh! found you."

Vincent raised an eyebrow at Randolph’s words .

"Who are you looking for?"

Suddenly, Randolph placed his hand over Vincent's mouth.

"Shh...! Look."

Randolph said that while whispering and pointed with his finger to a spot in front of them.

He looked to where he pointed and saw a relatively large clearing. They were standing on a slope, and there was a massive drop directly in front of them, beneath which lay a cave that could only be described as deep. From the cave emerged a huge shadow, as if it could knock down a tree with its size. The body stepped into the sunlight, revealing a bear with black fur and some dark red spots. The bear was looking around as if searching for prey.

A thought came to Vincent, and he shuddered at it, whispering.

"Don't tell me this is what I have to kill."

He looked at Randolph's face and saw a small smile before he placed the palm of his hand on his back and pushed him down the slope he was standing on.

...

Vincent fell to the ground, some dirt on his clothes and face. He lifted himself up, stood on his feet, and saw that the bear was looking at him.

"Remember not to die, okay?"

Vincent looked at the place where he had fallen and saw Randolph turning his back and walking away.

"Curse you, old man, come back now."

Vincent was very angry; it felt like he had been betrayed. He could have at least been warned before being thrown aside. But there’s matters to attend to that are more important than being angry at Randolph.

Vincent heard a sound behind him, the sound of footsteps slowly approaching as if a giant were trying to hide behind a tree.

He looked back and saw the bear approaching him; the bear was staring directly at him as if it saw a lunch meal.

‘Will he back away if I yell at him, like the black bear in my world? Not sure, but I will try.’

"You! Stay away from here, I'm not afraid of you."

Vincent's legs were shaking as he took a step forward to emphasize what he had said, but unfortunately, the bear continued to approach him as if nothing had happened.

‘Damn, since when has this bear not eaten?’

Vincent looked around and saw a relatively large rock; he picked it up and raised his hand to throw it at the bear. The rock struck the bear's face directly, shattering as if it had hit a fortress. The bear stopped in its tracks, while Vincent could see some blood oozing from his forehead.

‘Then he is not completely immune!.I thought it would be as strong as iron.’

Suddenly, the bear started running towards him, as if it had been angered by the throwing of that rock. Vincent quickly realized this and began to run away, with the bear chasing him.

There was no way out of this clearing; it was surrounded by slopes on all sides, and of course, Vincent didn't have time to climb the shortest one with that bear behind him.

Vincent started picking up pebbles and throwing them at the bear, which made the bear angrier and increased its speed. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something shining on the ground while he was running. He couldn't go straight to it, so he made a complete turn around the square while the bear was behind him, and picked up the shiny object from the ground.

Vincent looked at his hand and saw a short, slender blade; the blade was almost broken while the handle was somewhat short. He felt as if he were holding a knife rather than a sword, it seemed.

Vincent didn't notice and slowed down as he looked at the broken blade, which made the bear approach him and throw him towards a large rock beside him. His face crashed into the rock, and Vincent turned his body, leaning his back against the rock while rubbing his face, holding the blade in his right hand. The bear's claw came rushing towards him, and Vincent jumped to the ground on the right, avoiding the claw. The bear struck the rock and shattered half of it.

‘ I Take back my words, this damn thing is really made of iron.’

Vincent took a breath and stood up. Although he is not an expert in combat and often fought face-to-face, the skills and experiences he gained while working with the Brotherhood made him more skilled than a bear in a fight. Of course, all it takes is for the bear to make a mistake in a strike.

Vincent gripped the blade with both hands and looked at the bear firmly. The bear came rushing towards him, raising its paw to strike. Vincent veered to the right and plunged the blade into the bear's foot.

The bear cried out in pain and diverted its attention from Vincent. It began to run, trying to shake off the pain, with the blade still lodged in its foot, rushing into the cave as its blood flowed on the ground.

Vincent lay on the ground, catching his breath and feeling some cold drops of sweat on his face.

‘Damn it, fighting this idiot is more stressful than stealing from a company or battling a skilled assassin from the brotherhood.’

After some time, Vincent stood up, still exhausted, and walked towards one of the slopes that was relatively short and he could climb. He tried to climb, but each time he fell. After several attempts, he realized something.

‘Shit!, I forgot that I'm in a child's body.’

Vincent sighed and walked towards the rest of the half-broken rock, leaning his back against it. He closed his eyes for a moment to rest.

‘Wait, why don't I meditate?’

The idea came to Vincent, and although he was exhausted, he didn't care about it. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes; lights began to appear and move inside him, specifically towards his blood. He felt as if his blood was starting to boil and freeze, as if it was moving and then settling down.

After a little while, all the emotions that Vincent had felt evaporated, replaced by a stillness and calmness in his blood. He opened his eyes wide.

‘Did I finished strengthening my blood this quickly!’

Vincent was surprised and didn't know how this happened, but he was happy at the same time.