As Yuri and Arthur walked the moonlight outlined their bodies as the darkness and the eerie sound of the swamp enveloped their surroundings, it was peaceful however the feeling of being followed was heavy over Yuri while Arthur seemed carefree, thankfully nothing happened most of the night, out of nowhere with no warning Arthur grabs Yuri and throws him into the muddy and shallow swamp water, Yuri gets up, the water reaching almost to his knees.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Yuri screamed out at Arthur, clearly angry.

Without a single word or warning Arthur jumps into the air and readying his glaive for a vertical slash, Yuri's eyes widen as he barely dodges as Arthur's glaive smashes into the earth, a huge splash of dirty water and mud flying could be seen where he landed.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU OLD MAN!" His anger and tone both rising.

Arthur's eyes narrowed, "Training." He said in a low and menacing voice while looking at Yuri, he took one step and disappeared, to Yuri it looked like he teleported however in reality he just ran behind Yuri so fast his eyes couldn't keep up with Arthur's speed, Yuri glanced behind for a split second as his lips split. "How-" Yuri' words were cut off by a heavy blow with the hilt of the glaive sending him flying into a tree and then falling face first into the murky water.

He struggled to get up, he knew the hit wasn't meant to kill or do any actual damage but it was definitely heavier than anything he had felt before.

"Physical Enhancement, it's a 3rd tier spell, it's the basic and most used spell by even foot soldiers, no matter the race or fighting style it's a essential to master, it's effective and doesn't consume a lot of mana over time, until we reach the Beast Capital of Fang you will train to use this spell effectively." Arthur says in a completely serious voice.

"Effectively? Don't I just cast it and that's it?" Yuri said, confused leaning against the tree.

"Fool." Arthur said while walking slowly towards Yuri. "Just casting may work on weak opponents but on strong ones you need to learn how to control your mana, how to disperse it through your body, you don't shoot a rat with a Fire Ball then put the same amount of mana into shooting a dragon, it's wasteful and counterproductive, from now on I'll also teach you how to control your mana output." Suddenly he appeared in front of Yuri. "Putting all your mana into a spell will make it tremendously strong but will drain you and vice versa, you need to control your mana output depending on the need and the situation." Arthur said before kicking Yuri in the side, sending him stumbling through the dirty swamp water leaving a small trail in the mud.

"Damn." Yuri said as he got up he started spreading the mana through his body focusing on it coating his muscles as he casted Physical Enhancement, he also tried sending more mana through different muscles, experimenting with what Arthur had taught him in that moment.

It was very different from how just casting felt, now that he concentrated on the spell he could control the quality and quantity of his spell, it's shape and many other things, it was difficult but it was definitely a game changer and a whole new understanding on casting spells for him.

Yuri started running towards Arthur, his speed had increased greatly due to the effects of Physical Enhancement, Yuri threw a punch at Arthur hitting him right in the chest however he didn't budge, his armor glistening in the moonlight.

A evil grin spread across Arthur's face as he planted his glaive into the ground leaving both of his hands free, he twisted his body as his right hand formed into a menacing fist, Yuri could feel him putting a lot of mana into his fist then without warning Arthur punched Yuri with a uppercut so fast it left behind a aftermirage of his hand, sending Yuri flying high up into the sky and even over the crown of the depressing looking trees.

"Up up and away my boy." Arthur said as he laughed.

As Yuri started falling he knew there was only one way to land without hurting himself, he closed his eyes and focused his mana into his feet using Physical Enhancement, it was taking a long time as he was nearing the ground he got into position to land. "COME ON COME ON, MOVE MANA DAMN YOU." He said impatiently as he focused all his attention to moving the mana into his legs, after finally landing with a loud thud and a huge splash of mud and dirty water Yuri had managed to land safely without taking any damage however a shiver was sent up his spine.

"Damn, I'm definitely feeling that tomorrow." Yuri said, frowning before falling on his ass. "--Sigh-- I guess I really need to work more on this huh..." I said before looking up, Arthur was standing right in front of him.

"Don't worry kid you'll get the hang of it." He says before extending his hand, Yuri takes it, "Let's go, there's still a few hours of night left to walk before the sun rises." Arthur said as they walked back onto the path and continued their journey through the foreign lands.

One month later...

A month had passed, Yuri had continued to improve his control over his mana and spell while also often sparring with Arthur, however Arthur never taught him any fighting techniques, forcing Yuri to fight using only his instinct, ironically enough that was exactly how Yuri liked to fight, dirty, with wild and unpredictable moves that would make, almost like a wild beast.

They walked by night and slept by day, they had had very few encounters here and there, most were with bull giant frogs that they used as food and some giant snakes, they were now entering a jungle area meaning they were getting closer to their destination.

While Arthur's armor and clothes had stayed clean and well kept, Yuri's became rugged and a little ripped from cleaning them too roughly and from the extreme training.

As they marched during the night they saw movement between a few of the jungle trees, they decided to go off the path and investigate it as it could be an ambush, better safe than sorry.

To they're surprise they saw two reptilian like creatures, the creatures had a mix of dirty green and brow scales, hulking jaws with flesh shredding fangs and thick claws that could easily dig into a man's torso, the creatures were relatively small only being a little taller than Yuri especially, their necks were short and thick and they had a hunched over posture, they're yellowish green eyes glowed in the dark, the creatures bodies were twice as thick and muscular as the average man and their tails were almost as long as their whole body and as thick as Yuri's torso.

"What the- what are those?" Yuri says in a quiet whisper-like voice.

"Kobolds." Arthur responded, "They were part of the early races of demi-humans however they chose to live in seclusion which made them much more wild and feral, that's why there are no reptile demi-humans, there were also stories about how their ancestors are dragons but those are just myths..." Arthur said as he leaned against a tree, he sounded a little unsure of that last statement which was weird since he was very knowledgeable about creatures, he would often talk about the weaknesses they encountered no matter how small or friendly they were.

"So what now? Do we circle around them and leave them alone or do we kill them?" Yuri asked while looking up at Arthur, his voice a low whisper.

"No, we'll follow them to their nest and exterminate them, they're too close to the path and might ambush us later down the path if we're not careful, they're smart and cunning despite their small stature." Arthur said in a serious tone. "Plus I heard kobold eggs taste delicious." Aaaand he was back to his annoying self.

Yuri just sighed and nodded at Arthur's antics, a few minutes later the kobolds finally started moving deeper into the jungle, after what seemed like an eternity they lead Yuri and Arthur to a small clearing between the tall trees and vines, in the middle of it there's a giant mound that looks like it's made of dirt and some kind of clay soil, in the mound's sides there were a few holes that look just big enough that a child could fit through, the kobolds both go through one of the holes.

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"So what now?" Yuri says while looking at Arthur, his head slightly tilting.

"What do you mean ‘what now’? You're going in there and killing them." Arthur retorted without a second of hesitation.

"What! You expect me to go into the enemy's home alone, having no idea of how strong they are or how many there are?!" Yuri exclaimed while looking at Arthur to see if he realized how stupid his order was; however Arthur's face said it all, he was completely serious about this. "--Sigh-- And what am I even going to kill them with? Those scales looked way too tough for my fists even if I used Physical Enhancement."

"Haven't you learned anything this past month brat!" Arthur says in an annoyed voice poking Yuri's forehead. "Against opponents with tough exteriors like that if you're not strong enough to crush them or slice them just go for the weak spots or insides like the mouth, ear holes or anuses, kobolds also have soft underbellies, they have bad vision so the eyes are a way not only to kill them but to also a weakness, and lastly the tip of their snouts if full of nerves, hit them there and you'll confused and hurt the shit out of them."

"--Sigh-- Fine." Yuri says in a defeated tone while walking towards the mound.

He enters the same hole as the kobolds did a few moments ago and starts walking, the noises of the kobolds can be heard echoing off the smooth and hardened clay walls of the tight tunnel, finally Yuri reaches the end of a tunnel, it reveals a giant underground chamber where all the tunnels meet, it's dimly lit by small pits of fire in the walls, the number of kobolds isn't as impressive as he thought it would be barely counting around ten or so but they all seemed to lay in the middle huddled up sleeping.

Sadly there were no eggs to speak of which was a bit disappointing to Yuri as the nutritional pellets tasted so bland and stale, it was gut wrenching sometimes even causing him to not be able to poop for days, he hated them, often trying to eat berries or fruits he found in the swamp and jungle however Arthur always smacked them out of his hands scolding him about how eating something you know nothing about could be a death sentence.

"Damn, I really wanted some fried eggs... I wonder if kobold meat tastes good? I already ate giant frogs and snakes, kobolds are reptiles like those..." Yuri drooled a little at the thought of some cooked meat however he quickly wiped it away slapping himself in the face however it wasn't strong enough to hurt himself or leave a mark. "Focus, how do I kill these bastards."

Yuri looked around and in the corner he saw a pile of bones however they weren't ordinary bones, they were human bones, these bastards had set up camp near the path and took advantage of the thick foliage to ambush travelers, Arthur was right it was better for Yuri to take care of them now than to risk getting ambushed them.

However, how would I be able to take care of them? The walls look sturdy so collapsing the building on them and burying them alive while they're asleep wouldn't be an option plus they would probably just crawl they're way out with their claws...

"--Sigh-- I could use Flames or Fire Breath but-" Yuri looks at the kobold's scales. "...that won't do much damage huh..." Yuri felt truly perplexed, had he still possessed his dagger or any bladed weapon this would have been a easy task.

His eyes flicker around the giant chamber before deciding to go to the pile of bones, looking through it however there was no items just bones, they must have stored the items somewhere else or thrown them away, he decides to take a thick and long bone, it was a femur, he enhanced his strength a bit with Physical Enhancement and snapped it in half by simply with hitting it with his knee while holding it, the ends of the bones were now jagged and sharp.

"Guess this will do." He says while looking over his shoulder making sure he didn't wake up the kobolds.

Yuri goes over to the kobolds slowly making sure not to trip or step or anything that could make noise, he gently lifts up the head of first kobold and with all his strength and as quietly as he can he stabbed it in the throat, the kobold opens its eyes suddenly locking onto Yuri's however it immediately died, Yuri looks into its eyes as they lose life then gently lets it down.

Suddenly he hears a low growl and looks to his side, all the kobolds are awake now.

"That bastard, he didn't tell me you could smell blood so well." Yuri says before stabbing the next one in the eye and using Physical Enhancement again, this time putting much more mana into it...

Around half an hour later Arthur is still standing outside the lair tapping his foot impatiently as he awaits for Yuri's return. "That brat... was a kobold nest too much?" He said, his tone becoming more serious and a little worried.

Suddenly he sees Yuri running out of the lair, covered in green blood. "Brat you finally show up, you better not have eaten all the e-"

Before he could finish his sentence a loud thud can be heard from the mound, then a giant red hand with razor like claws breaks through the wall, the creature broke through revealing it's entire body, it looked exactly like the kobolds but it was gigantic, at least 6 meters tall, red with a much more menacing and worn out look, it's scales covered in scars and it's eyes radiate a yellow menacing light as it's eyes locked onto Arthur letting out a loud roar that was deafening

Yuri stops next to Arthur, panting. "You never told me they had a boss version you bastard!" Yuri said, clearly exhausted, discarding the sharp and rugged bone that was covered in green blood, sweat and more green blood dripping down his face, his arms shaking as they rested on his knees.

"They don't have a 'boss version' dumbass... that's a female." Arthur said while casting Physical Enhancement.

Yuri looks at him in shock then looks at the giant kobold. "That thing's a female... kobolds must have one wicked family dynamic" Yuri says and Arthur just laughs.

"You know what kid, sit this one out and let your master show you how it's done... how a warrior fights." Arthur says before briefly placing his hand on Yuri's shoulder as he walks away towards the creature while Yuri stayed back and watched him.

He started spinning the glaive around his hands, he made the glaive look as light as a feather, giving it more and more momentum, the wind from its spinning was so strong it started to be almost visible,Arthur finally lunged at the creature, the kobold did the same.

Arthur got into stance for a side slash and the creature tried to stop with its claws however Arthur quickly and shifted his glaive, it went between the creature's claws slicing up the arm and across the torso slicing the creature in half, the air pressure from the slash was so strong could be felt from where Yuri was standing, a blood curdling cry of pain from the creature could be heard for kilometers away as it's body fell on the ground, Arthur landing in front of it.

Arthur's face was cold and calculating, this was one of the few times I saw him this serious, I knew he took every fight seriously, however his strength always blew me away, I could feel my blood boiling inside of me, he was so strong, I hated him for it ...no... I hated how much control and power he had over me and I couldn't do anything.

I glared at him, a cruel look in my eyes, however there was something else, a hint of sadness. Truth be told I also loved him like I loved my father even though the time we spent together was short I could tell he actually cared about me as his own, my feelings were twisting through my head before I was snapped back to reality by his words

Would I be able to kill him if I were given the chance? Could I go through with it? Was my hatred for this world already tamed by such simple kindness? I feel disgusted and disappointed in myself for being so mentally weak and already questioning myself and hatred.

"Kid, you ok, what happened in there?" Arthur asks, Yuri looks up at him, his eyes blank, only half open, a blank stare, his eyes giving off a slightly menacing glow.

"After I killed all those lizard things the ground started shaking, then from the middle of the lair that thing came out of the ground, it must have been sleeping or something." Yuri said while looking away and dusting off the blood.

"...Alright, let's go." Arthur says, his eyes narrow at Yuri's tone however he dismisses it.

A week later...

The situation between us had become a little awkward with me becoming more silent but angrier, snapping easily at any minor inconvenience however he still treated me with the same 'rough love' he always had, we were almost like a dad and a son who had fought and were trying to make up.

We finally arrived at the first split in the road, pointing to the right the sign read 'Qarmzi Tree' while the left side said 'Beast Capital of Fang' and 'Mawsim Village'. For a country it sure lacks cities and villages but I guess it makes sense for everyone to want to group together in a single giant city since the wildlife here is pretty crazy here.

A few hours of walking later the sun was starting to come up, it's beautiful red and orange hue breaking through the leaves as we looked ahead into the distance straight down the path we saw a village, it was around one kilometer away, we were close so might as well walk in the light a little until we got there.

After walking for around ten minutes we reach the village's gates, the walls made of thick tall trunks and the giant gate made of a dark solid wood reinforced with steel joints, the voice of a young man can be heard.

"Identify yourselves travelers!", We looked up and it was a guard in a small wooden tower barely above the tall wooden wall, just like the last demi-human guards we saw, his armor wasn't covering his whole body properly, showing off his muscles not even holding his spear right trying to look cool as hils wolf ears twitched waiting for a response.