The boy blinked groggily, his eyelids heavy and his limbs slow to respond. He pushed himself up from the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. With a yawn, he reached for his bag and began placing his belongings inside, his movements deliberate and unhurried. He paused occasionally to stretch and yawn again, but still managed to meticulously double-check each item, ensuring nothing was left behind. He had a blast yesterday, feeding himself from the spoils from the thieves.

He could function normally for two days without rest easily, and five days at max, but he was trained to have rest every day. Walking off-road did make the travel a bit complicated, but it was a great way to train oneself to be always on the edge.

He stopped his feet as he saw the dark forest; a small area of foliage actually marked the change in the area. It was almost noon, and going in now or later didn’t matter, as long as he could find a source of water he would be okay.

What he was worried about was his food supply. The old man had warned him about his eating habits, and he did have a feast after his sleep, something that he felt he should do to cover up the feelings of emptiness inside him; rather, it felt instinctual (stress eating).

The worst thing was that he immediately fell asleep after eating, which is why he had to waste one more day.

<--->

Simon smiled, at the familiar scent of the forest, his feet and boots against the ever moist ground and the first step. He began the long walk into the forest, estimating it would take around a week or more. Judging from the days they traveled with the ship, but that was if he went in a straight line, which he was planning to.

Simon was taught to trust his instinct, he had confidence in his judgment but reality hit really hard when things began going south.

The topography, the lay of the large forest of giant trees, their roots that created corridors, the uneven rock formations, and vegetation—he tried climbing up, but the trees offered no good branches to jump around. The monkey monsters hated his guts; they were weak but knew how to be as annoying as possible, throwing rocks and banana peels, taunting him, and even throwing their own shit as an insult. He had killed a few already, killed more in spite, but they didn’t seem to decrease in numbers. He wouldn’t last.

There were also times that he was harassed at night; it seemed that the monkeys were attracted by the fire he used to cook. Luckily, he finished eating already before the tragedy occurred. He hated the monster monkeys, even vowing to cleanse the land of them somehow.

Two days immediately passed. Simon was literally worn out.

The light was a bit delayed when the sunrise came, it was because of the tall trees that covered the entirety of the dark forest, that the rays had a hard time penetrating the canopies of the large span of trees. The boy was packing his things when he thought of a good idea, he would now travel at night since he could see in the dark. This was so that he could cook in the morning and finally, because of the annoying monkeys, he chose to walk on the ground.

…

In a few hours of walking, a problem literally walked into him: it was around two meters tall, the abysmal eyes that landed on him as large as the boy’s head, rigid claws that were used to carve and kill, it was a giant mantis.

“No shit…” Well, the scythes look really sharp. He drew the old sword from the old man. ‘I’ll target the joints first… what does it even taste like?’ he thought.

The mantis didn’t waste time; with a shriek, it extended its blades aiming to injure the boy. Simon pivots his left foot checking out the form of the large insect’s arms. He landed a slash on the joints, but it was really hard. He dodged another flurry of attacks and landed another hit on the other joint, and he felt his sword cringe.

Simon sighed. Well, the old man would use magic edge to cover and protect the sword, but he didn’t learn it. “Sorry, old man...” Simon said. There was a small crevice from his first slash; the next one should do the trick.

He concentrated now. The large mantis attacked him; it all happened in a moment. He dodged again, watching the blade and joints move. The blade came back as the giant mantis pulled it... the joints were weaker when doing the returning slash. Another side does the same, and he aimed at the right timing.

<--->

The sword broke, but he had a new weapon. After some cleaning and using a few blocks of wood, he created a sword out of the mantis’s scythes—two of them, to be exact. The meat was not edible; Simon confirmed it after trying some... he was really disappointed.

“Yuck,” was Simon’s rating after trying some but he didn’t spit it out.

He had to hunt for a wild rabbit or a huge boar. He stayed in a cave for a few days to create a bag and a weapon so that he could bring the dried meat he acquired; luckily, he had a large collection of salt.

He had a handy knife and a matchlock in his bag, the only tools he needed for food.

He remembered the merchants in the Creek Village; they were lions.

Salt was life; that was what the old man used to say to him. You can use salt to preserve meat; you can use salt to cook food.

‘Living on the island was good after all’ He was taught how to make salt coming from the sea, which accidentally was pink salt too.

He then proceeded to practice the sword a few times, adjusting the blade.

After a while, he finished fine-tuning the two blades, one with a longer handle and one that was shorter overall. He looked at the broken handle of the old man’s sword. Memories flowed as he stared at it, he couldn’t muster the courage to throw it away… he would keep it in his bag.

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<--->

Soon, the boy understood that the mantises were a natural part of the ecosystem of the dark forest; there were actually many of them all around. What he was wary of were the eagles that ate the monkey monsters.

He saw one once; the eagles would hunt down the monster monkeys using some sort of wind magic. Magic was a natural ability for animals and monsters. He was told again and again because he didn’t have magic, 'Be aware of those who use it.' Monsters used magic effortlessly, as if they were born with it.

Finally, before his day ended, he heard the sounds of water. He followed it and found a lake. It was large, but the trees of the dark forest hid it. For some reason, there were no animals around, not even monsters.

But it didn’t matter; the old man said that if he boiled the water, it would be safe to drink.

The boy slowly approached the water. There was no smell, no signs that it was acidic. He took a sip. It was really spring water. But why was it so big, and why were there no animals around?

He drew some water and started a fire to boil it. Then, he began going through his inventory again: his sword, a small knife, a pot, and a fire starter, along with bags of salt, two sets of clothes, and a spare cloak that doubled as a blanket when he slept. That’s everything he had when he left. He divided them since he had a new bag.

The boy stared at the dancing flame under the pot. When the pot began popping sounds he immediately placed some of the herbs he picked up on the forest. It would take a while for it to properly be cooked so he decided to bathe on the spring water.

He stripped off his clothes and jumped in, bringing his self-made sword with him just in case there were any fish in the water.

<--->

Lights would barely touch the deep part of the well, it would be always cold and the temperature barely changed on the deep. A creature lay in the bottom. Its body was smooth. In the shape of a swordfish but akin to a shark.

It was springtime, and the monster would awaken in summer. It lay in wait at the bottom of the spring, where the heat often lured unsuspecting young calves or deer... they were incredibly crunchy and juicy. Sometimes, unsuspecting monsters who hadn't been warned by their group would wander around the lake.

Hmm... it was still spring, and it could feel some vibrations in the water. Perhaps it was just leaves and branches, but what stirred it awake was the heavy splash. The monster, a colossal fish, stirred, its fins moving as it sensed the disturbance.

Its hunger propelled it, the only motivation it had at all ever since he understood his existence; it was to consume perpetually. Excitement surged through it as a new prey entered its domain.

<--->

Simon was enjoying the water, free diving and searching for aquatic foods, he had been going around but not even a single fish were found. His senses shot up, vibrations from water sent a warning on him.

Looking from below, it remained dark, but after a while, he spotted a large swordfish-like creature darting towards him. Reacting swiftly, he timed his movements, sliding his feet on its sword-like appendage. He sustained a few cuts from its protruding scales.

Of course, it all made sense now. There was a monster in the large spring. Surprisingly, Simon didn't feel startled once he realized this fact, though it was his first time fighting in the water. Perhaps he could find a way to launch the fish out of the water, but as he contemplated, the creature descended again.

It would rush again. He could tell that he would be in a very disadvantageous fight if he forced it. His instincts were screaming too.

He jumped out of the water, and as he did, the water began to move strangely, slowly flowing into the air and forming a large bubble. Simon planted his feet on the ground as the water continued to rise, it was magic. Finally understanding its intention, he swiftly gathered his belongings and dashed away, even grazing his hand on the hot pot in his haste. The water dropped with a splash, sending ripples across the large lake. Anything near the lake's edge was drawn back into the spring as the water receded.

Magic and intelligence showed how dangerous the monster was.

There was no way to win this fight, so Simon decided it was much better to retreat. “Oh... it fell…” he instantly noticed the change in weight in his bag. The broken hilt was gone, a memento of the old man.

The boy disappointingly sighed. Should he take it? Just leave it? The boy stared at the dark spring, it was there waiting for him… waiting for him to come back. Annoying as it seemed his whole being was calling for him to go back.

The sword hilt bore an original magic signature. Simon, though unable to use magic, was still sensitive to it. It lay beneath the lake, alongside the monstrous fish still lurking in the water. Diving back in would mean contending with limited time, harsh conditions, and an unfair match-up.

Simon took two of his hand-made swords, then took a deep breath a few times. He had plenty of experience swimming around the island. “I should have tried harder to learn magic,” he thought before plunging into the water.

Of course, the fish monster was waiting for him. It swiftly rushed toward him, its bladed trout aimed directly at him. It promised to be a challenging sword fight underwater but Simon was prepared, he attempted to use his two swords to deflect the attack.

However, instead of deflecting the attack, Simon found himself pushed back. The monstrous fish didn't even bother targeting his swords as it carried Simon away with its powerful thrust. Now, it was the fish's turn to twist him, and it succeeded; Simon found himself dragged into the deeper part of the lake. If it wasn’t his eyes that could see in the dark he would be fighting blind.

The next attack was imminent; he had to utilize the fish’s momentum against itself. However, there was a problem - the sword he wielded wasn't particularly sharp. The fish launched itself at him once more.

He employed the shorter sword to deftly slide along the bladed trout. Successfully, he severed the right side of the fish’s pectoral fin. The monster silently wailed in the water, losing its composure as it began to maneuver for another attack. Same tactic…

Another strike to the left pectoral fin, another surge forward, and he managed to nick some of the fins on its head and make a slice in its tail; the fish was gradually losing its speed.

The monstrous fish floated aimlessly as its blood painted the water with red. After a few seconds, it finally stopped moving and put its trout back in the boy’s direction. It emanated hatred… intelligence too.

The fish began to utilize its magic. Though he couldn't see the water blades, his heightened magic sensitivity aided him in evasion. Only receiving and dispersing the magic was within his capability... until the shorter blade snapped in two.

Ideas began to form in his mind. Another water blade surged towards him. Riding the water blade with his sword, he spun and deflected it back toward the fish monster. The creature was caught off guard, resulting in a gash that began to bleed.

It was now destined to bleed to death.

For a moment, Simon's eyes met the monster's... it was poised to attack with full force next. Water blades began encircling the fish's body. Utilizing its tail, the only appendage functioning properly, it propelled its body with all its might.

‘Think first from the beginning of your movement and into its end, then move without hesitation,’ Simon reminded himself.

Simon began rotating. The fish observed, yet it persisted in its attack. Exerting power underwater surely took Simon’s air from his lungs. Their distance rapidly decreased as the fish, with water blades in tow, approached... The water blades started to be drawn into the underwater vortex he was creating.

With a swift swing, he deflected and guided the water blades into the fish. With no room to maneuver, the fish had no chance to dodge them. It was struck and sliced by the very water blades it had launched. Simultaneously, with the swing, Simon evaded its final attack.

It was the end... the boy wouldn’t let it suffer any longer.