Tepo’s eyes twitched. Pain seared his nerves. A disgusting corrosion colored his skin dark-green. A groan escaped his mouth as the spiked beast trained its eyes back on the warrior.

Suppressing the injury as best as he could, Tepo gripped his knife hard.

Bang!

Shots rang through the air. Tepo emptied his gun on the spiked beast, hoping that it would succumb to its injuries soon.

Combined with [Infectious Flames] fire once again spread on the beast’s body. If howled in pain. Its muscles spasmed. But only rage could be seen in its eyes.

Tepo narrowed his eyes. The beast further away raised its head as the spiked beast fletched its teeth.

Suddenly another blob of liquid shot through the air. Tepo didn’t fall for the same trick twice. He activated [Chaotic Evasion]. A special impulse sped through Tepo’s body.

The warrior moved abruptly. He dashed forwards, dodging below the ranged attack.

Since low-leveled warriors could only activate one spell at a time, the spiked beast was released form the flame’s grip. It immediately sought revenge. A long, crooked claw threatened to rip the human’s face off.

Tepo saw the danger, but he didn’t want to stop his spell. He slashed out with his knife. The [Slash] attached to the weapon activated. A sharp, white energy shot out.

The spell and claw met in the air. A high-pitched noise stabbed into Tepo’s ears. For a second the two attacks seemed to be even. But quickly the claw broke through.

But Tepo grinned. This delay was enough. He was already at the spiked beast’s side.

The other beast noticed its miss. It growled angrily as it dashed towards Tepo.

But the warrior couldn’t pay it any attention right now. He raised his knife. And slashed out forcefully. [Rapid Pierce] activated. Blood splattered. A pained howl sounded as a leg separated from the beast’s body.

Clouded by rage and pain the spiked beast thrashed angrily. It threw its body left and right.

Tepo opened his eyes in shock. He reacted instinctively. A gray layer formed on his body just before he collided with the beast.

Feeling his chest sink it, the warrior uncontrollably tumbled backwards. His face paled. He looked down on his body, where a spike managed to pierce his defensive spell.

But the beast wasn’t in good condition either. It suffered from Tepo’s passive counterattack as flames once again engulfed its body.

The spiked beast’s condition deteriorated rapidly. As it felt death calling, it lost the last shreds of its sanity. It lashed out wildly. Even the other beast wasn’t spared as it was hit by a claw.

Tepo stayed back. He jewed on a root, hoping to recover somewhat. His hand was cold and wet as he pressed it against the wound on his stomach.

Not far form him, the spiked beast let out an unwilling howl. Its body gave in. It slacked to the ground. The many injuries had finally taken all of its strength.

A burnt smell filled the air as Tepo stopped his spell. The beast twitched on the ground. Its companion even felt some fear as it looked at its dying brethren.

But a moment later its yellow eyes focused back on the injured human not far away. Its instincts pushed it again.

Tepo could’ve sworn he almost saw a grin on the beast’s ugly maw as it readied another attack.

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But this time Tepo was determined not to let it succeed. He activated [Chaotic Evasion]. But the spell didn’t adhere to his wishes. Instead of dashing towards the beast, he was carried to the right.

A sizzling sound reached his ears. Corrosive liquid hit the spot he just left.

Tepo panted. The sudden movement definitely wasn’t aiding his recovery. But the beast showed obvious signs of attacking again. Could it have learned form Tepo just now and tried to tire out its prey now?

The warrior didn’t know what might go on in the beast’s head. He decided to show his trump card to finally end the fight.

With determination in his eyes Tepo tensed his legs. He pushed with all his strength, shooting towards the beast.

The dark-skinned creature was elated. Its prey advanced in a straight line. It aimed and shot hurriedly.

A foul-smelling blob aimed for Tepo’s face. It flew through the air. It was prepared to take the human’s life.

Suddenly a strange, violet vortex appeared before Tepo. The world appeared distorted. As if time overlapped. As soon as the green blob touched the vortex, both vanished as if they never even existed in the first place.

While Tepo was amazed by his [Time Protection: Future] ability, the beast stared in confusion. Its brain couldn’t comprehend what just happened.

A moment later the human had arrived before the beast. Tepo didn’t hesitate. He stabbed out with his knife. [Rapid Chaotic Pierce] activated. His core’s projection appeared again. The Force of Time gathered. A rain of knifes fell down on the beast’s face.

The creature howled in pain. It tried to fall back, but Tepo wouldn’t let it. He stuck close. His knife slashed out as a nauseating mix of liquids stained the surroundings.

Tepo’s eyes were red. He stabbed until he suddenly hit air. The beast had already dropped to the ground, only a mangled mess was left of its head.

With shaking hands, the warrior snapped out of it. He panted heavily, covered in sweat and blood. Tepo’s body felt sore, but he had no time to lose. Who knows if some other beasts decided to attack the exhausted prey?

Roaming his eyes on the battlefield Tepo couldn’t prevent his mouth from grinning. Confidence and relief mixed together. This fight wasn’t easy against two beasts with the strength of nine-circled aspirants.

Still chewing on roots, Tepo dragged his tired body along. With every movement his corroded skin burned and the pain in his chest reminded him of his wound.

The young man looked down on the two dead beasts. With a wave of his hand, he stored them in his storage bag before turning around and leaving the town behind.

Despite his heavy steps Tepo did his best not to make too much noise. From the map he received earlier he more or less knew some beasts’ territories. Doing his best to avoid them, the warrior looked for a place to recover.

Soon, a dried-out riverbed came into Tepo’s view. It seemed not to be occupied by any beasts. Compared to the dead forest he came from, the riverbed was a better place to hide.

Tepo climbed down carefully. He advances for a few minutes more before a pile of rocks entered his view. He finally rested his exhausted body.

Sitting in the shadows the young man closed his eyes as he recovered.

Those roots are already losing effectiveness. I don’t know if its because of my advancement or because I ate too many.

The Core of Time is also annoyed. It constantly has to purify. But without it and those roots I might’ve died this time.

Tepo smiled wryly. He played the fight again in his mind as the patches of darkness on his neck shrank and his wound healed slowly.

This was also a part of the life as a warrior. But it was seldom shown to the public. After all, everyone wanted to be remembered for their heroic deeds and not the times where they nearly died against two simple-minded beasts.

For the next few hours Tepo didn’t move. He tried to hide his presence as he cured his wounds. Finally, he opened his eyes again.

Checking his own body the warrior sighed. The wound on his chest had healed although his clothes were in tatters. But he could still feel a few spots of withered, corroded skin on his neck and shoulder. Without a good healer these might stay forever.

With the roots not achieving more Tepo got up again. At least his Force of Time had regenerated, stopping the Core of Time’s complaints. Tepo chuckled as he thought about the willful entity which seemed to cringe every time it had to use any energy.

With his core as the only companion Tepo began to traverse the riverbed. The bleak path was just as dead as the world around it. Black roots covered the ground everywhere.

Sometimes tiny skeletons could be seen among the rocks, indicating that fish used to life here in the past. Even the never changing sun in the sky couldn’t bring the colors of life to this black landscape.

Tepo continued in this heavy atmosphere. He oriented himself on the map, avoiding beasts and approaching the palace.

Soon, a hilly landscape appeared on the horizon. Tepo wasn’t sure what to expect as he gradually got closer to the large hills. The palace was supposed to be not far away.

Suddenly!

A tremor ran through the earth. Trees fell and rocks crumbled. Tepo’s body trembled. He held his hands to his ears as a soul-shaking roar spread far and wide. A swarm of flying beasts some distance away directly dropped from the sky never to move again.