My war cry echoed throughout the battlefield, igniting my fighting spirit. The beasts hesitated for a brief moment, their snarls faltering as if the primal sound reached something deep within them. It wasn’t fear that held them back, but a challenge they could not ignore. For me, the cry was more than a rallying call—it was a surge of raw power, a declaration of survival. Beasts closed in from every direction, their snarls and growls blending into a cacophony of desperation and fury. I stood over the remains of the Tusk Buzzard, my breath ragged, my heart pounding like a war drum. The sharp tang of blood filled the air, a beacon to every beast lurking in the shadows. "Coming this far, I'm not going to let a bunch of insignificant beasts take what's mine."

The first wave came swiftly, shadows spilling into the clearing like a tide of malice. Small beasts with glowing eyes and razor-sharp claws charged, their movements quick yet predictable. One lunged at me, its claws swiping. I sidestepped, driving my fist into its flank with a loud crunch. The beast collapsed, its body skidding lifelessly across the ground. Another pounced from behind. I dashed forward, grabbing the severed tail of the Phantom and swung it with all my might. The makeshift weapon connected—crack—its head exploded into a mist of blood.

"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT"

More came, their numbers emboldened by the scent of blood. They charged, snapping and growling, testing my endurance. My muscles coiled as I tightened my grip on the Phantom’s tail. When the second wave approached me, I lashed out, the tail whistling through the air splitting them in two. For every beast that was killed, another would take its place.

The clearing descended further into chaos as larger beasts stormed in, their bulky frames crashing through the underbrush and trampling the smaller ones in their wake. With their maws wide, they began to cast low-tier body reinforcement spells. Regardless of what they did, their bodies could not be strengthened enough to survive colliding with a Phantom’s tail. I swung the tail in a crescent arc, splitting them in two.

The air grew thicker, charged with the tension of a battle that seemed to never end. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. I sidestepped a razor-sharptooth beast, grabbing its neck, and drove it into the ground with a force that crushed its body, covering the ground around me with blood.

More beasts poured into the clearing, their snarls weaving into a deafening symphony of chaos. Blood splattered the earth, painting the battlefield as bodies crumpled under relentless strikes. I twisted and turned, moving like the wind. The Phantom’s tail became an extension of my arms, its hardened structure tearing through their bodies with every strike. My fists followed, landing with bone-crushing force on anything that got too close.

As the chaos began to wane, I channeled all the strength I could muster and whipped the remaining beasts into a pool of blood. As the dust settled, the clearing descended into an eerie silence. The once-lush clearing had now become a sea of blood.

Sigh. "Now that the easy part is done, let’s get to the hard part."

I scoured the surroundings for any worthwhile beasts. Unfortunately, there was nothing that caught my interest. Returning to the carcass of the Buzzard, I crouched low, inspecting the mangled remains carefully. I grabbed an intact tusk fragment and began cutting into its body. The flesh split apart, like cutting into butter, and with each slice, the faint, intoxicating aroma of its blood teased my senses. My hands dug deeper, prying apart sinew and bone, searching for the elusive mana stone that should have been nestled within. But as I reached the cavity where it should have been, there was nothing. "Figures as much." Suppressing the bitter disappointment, I split its skull into a makeshift bowl, drained some of its blood, and cut off the remaining intact feathers. Then I consumed its flesh and braced myself for an evolution, but it wasn't enough.

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Heading toward the Phantom, I scanned my surroundings. "I better make this fast before the scent of blood attracts any unwanted guests." Reaching the Phantom, I grabbed its mana stone, which was the size of a human baby's fist, collected its blood, and wrapped its tail around my waist. Just like the Buzzard, I ate it. I braced myself, waiting for my evolution, but again nothing happened.

"That's weird. I feel my senses have gotten sharper, my muscles stronger, but is that really it?"

"Whatever. I have no time to waste."

"I need to find a safely place to carve the blood rune"

While deciding on which direction to pick I recalled the small rock formation from before, I dashed in that direction, leaving behind the clearing that had given me the most thrilling battle I’d experienced as an orc.

Upon reaching the rock formation, there were enough boulders to make a crude tipi of sorts. Settling inside, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. After placing all the materials down and closing the tipi hole, I descended into a deep sleep.

The forest began to come alive with chirping and rattling noises as dawn broke, opening the tipi, rays of sunlight pierced through the canopy. Last night felt like a nightmare: being chased to death, becoming an orc, having to fight nonstop waves of beasts. Looking at my large hands and reddish-brown skin, this was my reality.

Sigh. "There's no use dwelling on all that. Let’s just get to work." Reaching for the tusk fragment, I walked over to the bowls of blood and mana stone.

"At least it was an adult Phantom; otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten such a decent sized stone." Crack grind Crack. "Lucky for me, this tusk is able to grind this mana stone perfectly."

Once the mana stone was ground a nice powder, I poured it into the blood bowl. "This mana stone should be enough to ignite the mana that's in their blood." As the powder began to mix with the blood, it started to boil as if it were being heated by a fire.

"Damn it, there is not enough mana in this blood for a high-tier enchantment" "There’s only enough for a low-tier one." While stirring the bowl with the tusk fragment, my teeth clenched, just thinking of what was to come made me furious.

"I guess my only option is going to have to be that method." To ensure I received the full benefits this blood could provide, I had to take drastic measures that only a lunatic would consider.

When carving runes into a living being, not only do you need mana-infused blood, but you must also carve an oath spell circle and offer collateral to the aether to receive the rune's power. The more extreme the oath and collateral, the greater the rune's strength. Meaning, if someone wanted a high-tier rune to cast thunder elemental magic, they would need to offer the aether something significant, like their eyes, heart, lungs, or another vital part. They would then carve an oath to never surrender to their enemies onto the spell circle. In return, they would gain the ability to wield that magic, even without mana. However, if they broke that oath, the aether would claim their collateral and permanently strip them of the ability to carve another blood rune.

"What’s even more infuriating is that I'm going to have to pay a high price for a low tier rune" Clenching my fist I dug my nails deep causing blood to trickle down my fist. "Everything is for my revenge. Who cares if it’s low-tier or high-tier? I just need to pay a high enough price to make up for it." Grabbing the tusk I began to outline my possible choices "I'll make sure the alliance burns beneath my feet"