Levi stood in the forests, spear in hand, practicing. Bram had gifted it to him on the morning of his departure. Along with the new weapon, was another contracted hunt.

Life was to resume as usual, but Levi knew that the status quo had changed. He was potentially being hunted, and from what he knew of Gregory, he was using Levi’s need to grow stronger as bait. Strangely, he was okay with that. The threat of that demon was at the forefront of his mind, but one never got stronger by cowering in the back.

Regardless of the dangers that lay ahead, Levi had to keep going.

Not only did he have to acquire the strength to hold onto this new life, but Isolde also knew where he was now. There was no way of knowing if the demi-god was truly on his side. After all, what was stopping her from murdering him and taking back the watch?

With that thought in mind, Levi stopped his spear mid-thrust as horror dawned on him. What if Isolde had planted a tracker in the watch? He hadn’t even thought of that.

Shit, Levi thought, perching his spear against a nearby tree. Then, he sat down and fully focused on the watch. Because of his talent, the mana within practically spoke to him; as if he was a messenger of the gods.

One thing he realised was that each person, being, or magical Ingredient held its own mana signature. A normal mage would never have the ability to detect it. But Levi did. Levi’s own was hot, perhaps because of his fire Ingredient, but maybe because of his desire for improvement. It also had a calculative nature about it. It was difficult to explain. It was just a feeling.

Levi sat in the same spot for over 5 hours inspecting the watch. It was incredible. The mana of time, Levi tried his best to understand it. If this was what his 4th total Ingredient was going to be, then he had to delve into its secrets.

He found himself in a trance. And after a total of 7 hours, Levi was certain of one thing: there was no tracker. Either that, or Isolde’s magical abilities far outweighed Levi’s talent. He just hoped that wasn’t the case. He was fully relying on his talent for the upcoming Heaven’s Tomb. There was no telling just how exceptional the young demi-gods were.

All of a sudden, Levi felt small.

Perhaps it was an inferiority complex from back home, but his shoulders slumped, he felt butterflies in his stomach. Levi raised his hand and then sent it against his face.

Get a hold of yourself, Levi thought, eyes turning serious. This is my new life. I will be something more, something great.

Breaking out of his reverie, he only now realised just how hungry and parched he was. His stomach rumbled deep and sharp and pain followed. Holding his stomach, Levi prepared some food on the campfire. It was one of Bram’s specialties. He had prepared it before he left. It was essentially seasoned and brined meat and vegetables, inside a pocket of tinfoil.

All he had to do was chuck it on the fire, wait for a while, and it was ready. Nice and easy. Once it was done, Levi peeled back the foil and dug in, picking it up with his fingers, ignoring the heat. It was juicy, oily, and salty. It was great.

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“Well,” Levi grumbled, standing up. “No point in worrying about something I can’t control.”

His back ached from sitting down for so long, even despite his increased stats. Let’s continue where I left off, Levi thought as he wielded his spear. Bram had gifted it to him and although it was of lower quality compared to the thorned-hammer, it had a metal shaft. It didn't have the elasticity that a spear should have, but Levi didn’t mind. As long as he could channel fire through it without it exploding or catching light, that was great.

Levi augmented his weapon with fire, feeling the mana shoot up the shaft of the spear until it coalesced into the bladed tip. Then, he controlled the fire to descend all the way down to the but of the spear, where a pointed tip awaited. It turned red hot. Levi willed more mana into it, and then a flame appeared. The metal resisted. Levi nodded in appreciation of the new weapon.

Next up, he started thrusting the spear, slashing, then began running through the forest, attacking. He looked a little crazy, and Gregory was probably laughing at him from the shadows, but Levi didn’t care. He had to grow comfortable with the weapon he had decided to specialise in.

Rolling on the ground, Levi snapped the spear to a tree. The tip blasted into the bark, enhanced by his fire, the wooden tree caught aflame for a second before Levi willed it to stop. Then, he spun around and with his free hand, rapidly formed a hardened fire javelin and threw it at another tree. He missed.

Exhaling, Levi clicked his tongue. He may be extremely talented in magic, but his physical prowess sucked.

Well, let’s get to work.

***

It was the next day now and Levi was on the hunt. His target; a Savage Tigron. Honestly, it sounded like a mecha tiger, but it didn’t have armour at all. It was black tiger with sharp blades at the back of each of its legs.

The beast was a solitary creature that hunted prey on its own. Because of that, it was strong, its body mighty. Bram said that it would take a beating to defeat it, but that’s what Levi wanted. He had to get used to a messy brawl. Not that he wanted to get in many of those situations, of course. But he had to be ready for anything.

His main fighting style was fighting from range, making use of his traps. That wasn’t going to change.

Much like the tigers of Earth, the tigron was illusive. Levi was crouched in a bush near one of the only water sources in the area. It was early in the morning and the dew on the leaves had long soaked Levi’s body. He felt no cold, his fire Ingredient made certain of that as he regulated his heat.

Four beasts, looking like gazelle, sipped away at the water. But by their posture, they were ready for something. Levi found out what that something was almost immediately.

A massive crocodile broke free from the water in a rush of violence. It snapped its jaws down on the nearest mammal. It struggled and thrashed, but there was no escaping its terrifying maw. The large reptile dragged the body into the lake, and then death rolled. Blood trailed through the water like mist and limbs floated to the surface.

The remaining creatures, instead of fleeing, instead started drinking faster. They used the one that didn’t make it as bait to drink their fill.

It was the law of the wild. Survival was a brutal game where only the strongest and most cunning endured. Every creature played its part. The predator and prey dance, a cycle as old as time, governed by instincts honed over millennia.

And then Levi saw it. In the underbrush, the Savage Tigron prowled, its striped fur blending seamlessly with the dappled shadows. Muscles rippled beneath its sleek coat, eyes keen and alert, always seeking the next opportunity.

Levi controlled his breathing so much that he was practically holding his breath. Bram had taught him only to breathe through his nose and so that’s what he did.

The tigron stalked down low, not making a single noise. It seemed to know where all the leaves or twigs were on the ground without even looking. And just as it pounced, Levi was ready to hunt the hunter.