Sitting back in his original position, Mikhail refocused on the textbook. The title read, "Beginner's guide to elevating one's body" but the author's name wasn't listed. He then calmly flipped to the first page.

The book was fairly thin, only about a hundred pages, similar to a manual. He glanced at Von who was asleep at the cave entrance, before starting to study diligently.

𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦, 𝘩𝘮𝘮... 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮, 𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭, 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘶𝘮.

Mikhail read the first few lines a few more times, ensuring he was seeing correctly. He wasn't thrilled about the prospect of changing his bones, weak as they were. However, with no other option, he chose to continue reading.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢. 𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭... 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦.

The problem of finding such metals appeared in his mind.

Mikhail knew he would eventually find them; the Ordeal wouldn't be possible otherwise. But the issue was that he had never even seen real gold before.

This was unless he counted painted silver or fools gold, which he did not.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘐? 𝘜𝘮, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.

𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵.

𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

The dark and dreary cave made the warning feel ominous even though it was vague. Despite this, Mikhail had already decided to use any metal to the best of his ability, regardless of how low it was. He estimated one and a half pounds of any metal would be enough.

𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵.

He nodded thoughtfully and turned the page, taking extra care not to tear it. As a result of Evalina scolding him in the past, he would always be cautious when handling books.

𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵. 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯. 𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐𝘧 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭.

𝘐𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦.

Mikhail finished reading and turned to the next page, which had two items of note.

The top part of the page depicted a basic array. He observed its simple structure: an outermost circle with a hexagon inside, two large triangles within the hexagon itself, and finally a small circle in the center.

At the bottom was a chant for the spell.

𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺?

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 "𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘴" 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦.

Mikhail debated this in his mind for nearly a minute before letting out a long yawn. The question would have to wait until tomorrow. Closing the manual, he placed it inside his bag and used it as a makeshift pillow, without a blanket. Von had assured him that as long as it wasn't within the mist, it was safe to sleep.

However, just in case, he made sure his head was above ground and that he was close to the crack at the cave's end.

“Yaaawn...”

This would be his first night in the Ordeal. He couldn't help but wonder how Evalina was doing, hopefully better than he was, but time will tell.

He knew it was beyond his control and closed his eyes, focusing on the steady thumping of his heart and the faint breeze.

𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳...

***

“Well hey little fella, you're going to help me get breakfast or become it, your choice~”

“...”

Not even a minute after waking up, Mikhail was greeted by the sight of Von conversing with a rat. The entire scene looked like something out of a fairy tale.

With that thought, he turned to the wall and ate a mushroom. He then pinched his leg hard and counted to ten. However, instead of something normal he saw Von giving the rat a portion of his food.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Why are you wasting food on that rat?” Mikhail asked calmly.

“I think it could be useful.”

“Useful? Where did you even find it?”

“Outside," Von answered simply, a mysterious gleam in his eye. "It was in a small den. I did consider ending its life, seeing it so small and fragile. But my instincts told me it could be worth keeping, either as a tool or pet.”

With a whisper to the rat, Von gently set it down, watching as it scurried into the swirling mist.

Although he was still baffled by the notion of a rat being useful, Mikhail pushed his confusion aside. He was unable to see much outside due to the mist and stormy weather, but slivers of light still managed to get through. He saw that it was raining but it was fairly light, though the cold was a bit troubling.

“Von, help me start a fire.”

“Sure.”

The two got to work and soon warmth filled the cave.

Von took a short break as he was slightly hungover, but brushed it off saying he was used to it and would soon feel better.

Squeak! Squeak!

Mikhail turned his head, seeing the rat, now weak and bleeding from a wound on its side. However, it was the monster behind the rat that left him speechless. A monster. That was the only way to describe it, a hybrid between a rat and a man. It would have towered over him, but its back was hunched, allowing a clear view of its eerily human eyes.

𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸.

He cursed inwardly and instinctively scrambled backwards.

Von, who had not moved, pointed and said in disgust, “Oh Gods, look at it. Its head, its limbs, and a tail! It's hideous! Urg, I heard that you are what you eat but… wait. Does that mean if I get turned into a horrifying monster, I'll become alcohol?”

Von's incredibly unhelpful discussion was cut off by the monster's growl.

𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘐𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺.

At that awful sight, Mikhail picked up his long sword, gripping it tightly in both hands. He glared at the rat man who was sizing them up, before he turned to Von, who still did nothing.

“Don't look at me! You need to gain some experience. You've never killed a real monster before, have you?”

“... No I haven't.”

“Alright, so let me see what you've got. Don't worry I'll jump in if things get dangerous.”

He didn't bother to reply but instead strode out of the cave, knowing that Von was right. While Mikhail had certainly been in fights before, they were mere child's play compared to the monstrous creatures that lurked in the swamp. This place was a potential death trap, teeming with unknown dangers waiting to kill him.

𝘏𝘢𝘢𝘢, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵.

A second later, he adjusted his grip on the long sword and focused.

“You've got this, kid. Show it who's boss!”

The monster's response to Von's loud cheering was to lunge forward on all fours. Mikhail was surprised by the unfamiliar form of attack, but barely managed to evade its jaws at the last second. He pivoted on his heel while the rat man crashed into a nearby tree head first.

At that moment, Von spoke up in a disapproving tone, “No, no, no, you moved way too early! I didn't take you for a coward. If I was fighting, it would already be dead.”

Mikhail suppressed a curse and shot Von a defiant look.

“Then what do you suggest, fool?”

He kept the last part to himself.

“People either shy away or close their eyes in dangerous situations.”

Von suddenly hurled a jagged stone at Mikhail with unimaginable force. The projectile grazed his cheek, leaving behind a stinging cut that oozed crimson.

“Look, look. If you pull a stunt like that in a real fight, you won't last a second.”

Mikhail lowered his arms, which he had instinctively used to shield his face, and looked away.

“You need to be brave. Don't be easily agitated or taken aback. You need to be a warrior who thrives in chaos, who embraces pain and death without flinching. I call this: heart of the beast!”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵...

Screeech!

Before he had time to think, the rat man seemed to have recovered and charged at Mikhail once more, its eyes full of malice.

This time, Mikhail got into a defensive stance and waited as it got closer. The rat man closed the distance second by second, until its pointed teeth were a hair's breadth away from tearing into his thigh.

𝘈 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳... 𝘕𝘰𝘸!

He dodged at the last moment. But his movements were more controlled and skillful. However, the monster was no stranger to learning either, halting its charge and swerving to face him once more.

“So we're equal in terms of learning speed. How unpleasant,” Mikhail commented dryly as he readied for another attack.

The rat man didn't charge again and instead stood upright, circling him.

Mikhail watched this calmly but felt a wave of fatigue hit him. Recalling the mists effects, he charged, dodging the rat man's large claws, which it now used to attack.

With precision born of desperation, he slashed the creature's chest, drawing blood that was a mere scratch on its monstrous form. The rat man's pained cry echoed through the air. Its blood seeped into its dark matted fur before mingling with the downpour of rain and being washed away.

𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.

Without blinking or letting go of his sword, Mikhail planted one foot firmly on the ground then propelled himself forward. Gripping his sword tightly in his left hand, he prepared a stab. The rat man readied a slash from its right claw, only for him to suddenly change the direction of his sword and swing upward to deflect it.

Mikhail smiled victoriously.

He knew that while the monster had intelligence, it would be used to easy prey due to the mist and would get surprised easily.

Mikhail balled his free right hand into a fist and sent a solid punch directly towards the rat man's neck.

While the monster was staggered, he backed away, his left foot sinking into the mire. He then kicked it upwards aiming at the rat man's eyes, leaving it practically defenseless.

The rat man screeched and curled into a ball in a feeble attempt to protect itself.

Undeterred, Mikhail circled behind the monster.

He rammed his shoulder into its back, sending it into the mud. Mikhail stood tall in front of his fallen opponent and muttered confidently, “I win, bastard. Phew, that was—”

Kugh!

The moment he was about to finish his sentence, the monster grabbed his ankle and yanked him off balance. He was instantly sent careening helplessly to the ground.

The rat man's claws sank into his flesh, sending a surge of searing pain through his leg. Mikhail fought back with all his might, kicking, thrashing, and squirming in a desperate bid for survival. But the monster's grip was unyielding, fueled by a primal desire to claim its prey.

“Let me go, you ugly bastard.”

As his mind raced and his energy waned, Mikhail's fingers found the familiar weight of the sword still in his grasp.

With a newfound resolve, he raised his blade high, the bluish gleam shining through the mist. He mustered his last bits of energy and swung downwards.

Nothing.

And so, raising his sword once more, he swung down again, and again, and again.

“I said, let... me... go!”

Crack! On his fifth strike, the rat man's skull finally gave way with a sickening crunch.

Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the tight grip on his legs vanished.

Step! Step! Step!

Without a word, Mikhail turned to Von who approached him with measured steps.

“Nothing's more dangerous than a cornered animal.”

“Yeah, I guess that's my bad.”

“That being said,” Von continued with a proud smile, “Congratulations on winning the fight, kid.”

The swamp returned to its haunting silence as there was no reply.