Letting out a big sigh, I looked down and saw Zeris had left the backpack I had dropped to make myself lighter while running from the Abomination. Thankfully, it had everything I needed—water, food, medical supplies.

Who knows how long I'll be stuck in this forest, but it only puts me slightly at ease. I was still alone in a forest full of danger, and I barely knew what I was doing. All I had was the little Zeris taught me before departing for this place, like making fires and finding clean water.

Shaking my head, I grabbed the pack, swung it over my shoulders, and started walking away from the beast that was split in two.

Mindlessly walking in a direction, paranoia was getting the better of me. Each sound I heard would either startle me or make me snap my head in the direction, praying that it was not another Abomination.

'God, this is going to be miserable.'

A few hours passed, and I found myself in a small clearing. I set up the tent we had purchased, found firewood not too long after, and had a fire going.

As the night rolled in, the temperature dropped to what felt like below freezing. Shivering next to the warm fire, I ate some bread. We only bought a few loaves, and they were going to go bad the fastest, so I figured I would start eating them now.

Staring at the mesmerizing flames, the snapping and crackling of the fire filled the silence, along with the chattering of my teeth. The cold breeze hitting my back sent the occasional chill down my spine, keeping me from being comfortably warm.

Now and then, I'd hear the roar of an Abomination and even the howl of a wolf. It seemed Abominations were not the only creatures in this forest.

Laying down in the tent to hide from the breeze, I closed my eyes.

My thoughts wandered but always ended up on what Zeris had told me before he disappeared. On the surface, I thought the guy had no emotions and only knew combat. However, it seemed I might have been wrong. There were a few times I saw a distant, almost sadness in his eyes.

He also seemed to somewhat care about my wellbeing, in his own demented way, that is.

A bitter sensation filled me at truly realizing that there's a good chance I won't ever get to go home.

Before I could think any more about it, the embrace of sleep took me.

***

The sound of a tree falling nearby jolted me awake, and I grabbed my sword tightly without realizing it. I stepped out of the tent, checking my surroundings carefully.

Coming to the conclusion that I was safe, I sighed with relief. I broke down the tent and started the fire back up. Doing some meditation while warming myself up, I noticed that my mana reserves seemed to have increased by a good amount.

‘Did I reach the Adept phase?’

That was the only logical reason in my mind. Opening my eyes, I felt quite proud of myself. I unsheathed my katana and started to perform my sword forms.

Once I was satisfied, I put out the fire, collected my belongings, and continued to walk. When I first made it to the clearing, I had a clear view of the Great dragon's skeleton, so I was able to roughly tell where I was in relation to that.

I was just about at its sternum, so I decided I'd make for its skull.

Hours flew by in relative peace, only the distant howls and roars putting me on edge, but I never came face to face with another Abomination. Then, before I knew it, it was night again. I set up the tent and fire, then ate the other half of the loaf of bread.

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A few days went by with this same process. I'd wake up, meditate, practice my sword forms, eat, and continue my journey to the dragon's skull. Every now and then, I'd notice claw marks on trees and rocks, making me feel uneasy.

But all in all, nothing eventful happened.

That was until the sixth day. Waking up and performing my normal routine, I felt my mana control becoming more seamless, and my swordsmanship was slowly, very slowly, becoming sharper.

Making my way through the forest, I was nearing my goal of reaching the skull of the dragon.

A few hours passed, and I was resting, eating, and drinking some water when I heard a wisp of wind shoot behind me. Then again, and again, the wisping sound started to come from everywhere, moving to my side, above me, in front of me.

I quickly jumped up and unsheathed my blade. A high-pitched giggle started to come from the wisp. I tried to follow it, but it was too fast.

Wisp… Wisp… Wisp… Wisp

My heart started to race, my hands trembled holding my sword's hilt, trying my hardest to maintain a steady breath.

The giggling wisp moved once more in front of me, still hidden.

Before even seeing what was happening, my body moved on its own. The hours spent engraving the sword forms into my bones paid off. A relatively small creature jumped out at me so swiftly I could barely see it.

Blocking its claws with my blade and shoving it forward, I threw the creature to the ground.

The Abomination looked like a goblin from fantasy books in my world. It stood around four feet tall, was lean, and had the same black skin as the wolf-like beast Zeris had killed. Two onyx horns protruded from its round head, and its black eyes stared at me in a crazed frenzy.

The goblin smiled, showing its sharp teeth, letting saliva fall from its mouth. For how small it was, it was quite ripped, with its feet, head, and clawed hands being slightly larger than everything else, making it look not very proportional.

However, its small height did not make it any less terrifying. The goblin lunged at me again, laughing maniacally.

Its speed was incredible, slashing and piercing every vital spot on my body. I was just barely blocking its strikes. However, I was not blocking all of them. A good portion of them hit me, making shallow cuts on my face and sides.

Getting a good block on one of its piercing blows, I threw a kick with all my strength while the goblin was suspended in the air. It easily dodged it and ended up a few steps back, but I predicted that much.

The kick was just a ploy. A majority of my concentration had been on forming a small crescent blade of wind to throw at it. The moment the goblin landed on the black dirt, it was instantly met with my spell. Reacting slightly too late, the blade dug into the flesh of the goblin's forearm, severing tendons, muscle, and bone.

Completely cutting its right hand off, the goblin let out an ear-piercing screech and pierced my eyes with its own. Pure fury filled them. It wanted to kill me, not just for the fun of it but because it thought I deserved it.

Meeting its eyes for only a moment, then running in the other direction, I managed to buy myself a moment. Adrenaline drowned out some of the fear; however, it was still there. I was terrified of making a mistake and dying.

The goblin shot forward in a blur, bouncing off tree to tree, picking up speed each time it left one. As it got faster and faster, I swear I was starting to see double.

Running as fast as I could, the goblin would jump past me, leaving deep scratches on my body, sending a blinding sharp pain through me. One of its scratches hit my thigh, causing my leg to buckle, sending me tumbling in the dirt and hitting a tree.

Letting out a painful yell, I forced myself to stand. The goblin was continuing its chaotic movements, bouncing from tree to tree, sending my already spinning head for even more of a whirl.

'Think, think, I have to end this quickly or I'm dead!'

Focusing my mana to flow into my eyes, desperately hoping that this would let me see its movement, severely disoriented, this was practically impossible to achieve.

And the Abomination must have known that. My one wrong move cost me.

The goblin flew at me so fast that I didn't even notice its claws piercing my shoulder, pinning me to the tree. When the pain came, it was unlike anything I had ever felt, feeling its small serrated claws digging into the muscles and tearing at them.

I couldn't help but scream and cry out in pain. The goblin was laughing uncontrollably, basking in my pained screams.

'I—I'm going t–to die.'

When those thoughts crossed my mind, all I could see was my family—my two sisters, my mother. Their smiles were so bright. If I died now, then I'd definitely never get to see them again.

Gritting my teeth so hard I felt I was going to shatter them, I frantically reached for my katana that had fallen from my hand when I hit the tree.

The goblin's laugh began to die out. It opened its maw revealing its razor sharp teeth, ready to bite into my throat.

Its eyes widened with elation.

However, they grew cold and empty. Its raised hand fell, and the hand in my shoulder dislodged itself. The goblin fell limp and slowly bled out from its neck, where it had been cut by the blade of my katana.

Watching its life leave its eyes, I felt numb and cold—so very cold.

My vision grew blurry, then black.