I went back out into the forests with my parents. It would take a while yet before I could go out as a party with The Harvesters.

I fought many of the same monsters out in the forest as Mom and Dad picked my battles for me. A lot of the potential enemies were deemed to be too dangerous for me to fight. I dispatched more wolves, ambushed the bushpiders, fought a few new specimens like giant solitary bats, and I got my revenge on those damn hares.

The main conceit of the horned rabbit species was that they each came with some random element, and the horns with which to use them. They were nervous creatures that always tried to flee first.

I did manage to defeat them, of course, eventually… Dad spotted the creature hiding underneath a fallen log, a skill that I’d been trying to train to both find ambushing predators and hiding prey. Mom also helpfully informed me that training my senses like such would also aid in acquiring a proper level sense.

I got as close as I could without alerting the horned hare, and then I fireballed it from afar. The bunny lashed out with a barely controlled hail of rocks and projectiles, unsure where to even strike. Their use of magic was largely instinctual, like with most monsters and animals that even could use them.

It was already running away before the magic even began shooting. I gave chase, and found myself able to keep up for once as the rabbit was being slowed down by the virtue of being half on fire. Some of the projectiles managed to hit me in the exposed parts of my arms and legs, a few even drawing blood, but I barely slowed down. We were both very agile and able to maneuver past obstacles, but the rabbit was literally being burnt down.

It slowed at a fatal juncture, pausing against the rapid force of a river that barred its way, allowing me to catch up. I used my dagger for this hunt instead of drawing my sword, and a well-placed stab swiftly ended the monster’s life.

It was a good haul. These rabbits were surprisingly hard to catch, widely regarded as the quintessential prey. The horn would serve as a decent focus for earth magic, albeit a low-level one. It also had a repository inside its body. Sadly, the mana-producing organ wouldn’t quite work now that it’s dead, it’s why the fountans were so valued in the first place. Though not valued enough, of course, to have equal rights. Although they definitely were quite high up in the totem pole.

I fought more animals and monsters of different varieties over the coming months, allowing me to learn of their patterns, and develop some general instincts against certain kinds of foes. Much of my training up to this point had been against humans, or predominantly humanoid enemies.

I tried my hardest to try and get level sense, but it was slow going, a process even more uncertain than trying to sense mana. In absence of that, Mom and Dad brute forced knowledge of the local wildlife and their general levels into me, because most specimens would be within those ranges. I was also taught about the general appearance of each species, and what may indicate a more advanced Mutation should they deviate from that pattern. Larger specimens tended to be stronger, with more further evolved Mutations.

I convinced my parents to let me fight one of those birds of prey and other flying foes. I faced off against this murdle, who looked like an eagle coated in very dark maroon feathers. Its beak was uneven but powerful, and its claws were sharp, serrated, and poisoned for maximum bleeding.

The animal came flying at me, and I dodged its first attack. I kept track of my opponent, and evaded its second pass, and then another. After a few more of this, I came to a realization. Flight didn’t allow for the same kind of tight turns that kicking off against the ground did. Momentum was harder to arrest in midair. I had little to fear from follow-up attacks, so long as the bird didn’t get on me.

I grinned and took advantage of this fact. I evaded while swinging my sword, trying to catch the eagle mid-flight. It didn’t work the first time of course, but it didn't take long for me to finally get a hit in. All those days spent batting at pellets and pebbles had honed my aim to perfection!

The murdle wobbled and crashed in its flight, sprawling back to the ground in a bloody mess that wasn’t so easy to see against its maroon feathers.

It looked back up at me, limping. A wing was partially cut off, and its legs were ruined. There was a nearly disbelieving expression on its bird face.

I probably should have felt something. Pity, pride, hesitance. But instead, I ended the life before me with a largely neutral expression. There might even have been a little bit of a smirk.

I suppose it really was no fluke, when I was dead and dying back in my last life, and I managed to take my killer with me to hell.

I fought more birds, while Mom and Dad took the opportunity to teach me the use of more tools and weapons. Birds were fast, but they were predictable, and they typically didn’t hit as hard so there was more room for error. Mainly, they taught me the use of a buckler, a common round shield. Small. I swatted the birds out of the air, blocked their dives and attacks. And then I either stabbed them with a dagger, or toasted them by activating a deluge of fire mana already swirling around me.

It was generally harder to manifest and manipulate mana so close to a living being, be it because of the presence of a soul, or by a similar esoteric force as to what made it so wands and staves were better for the use of magic. But that was hardly a problem if the magic was already active, and already hurtling towards its proper target! The birds just crashed into their own deaths, and it didn’t take long because they were generally not very tanky.

I came to learn just how favorable my Flutter Feet were. A lot of animals were faster than me, level per level, but they didn’t have the same ability to make turns. Top speed and agility were two different things.

Case in point when we found a hornse. It was a horse with one blade-like horn, placed horizontal across its head and shaped like the crescent moon.

It was apparently a rare find, as we were in the middle of the slothorian forests and these guys were supposed to live all the way in the plains. It was stupid that there was even one where we lived, but there was no reason not to take advantage of it being here for whatever reason.

I fought the creature in a clearing, and it charged towards me while slicing its head this way and that. It made sense, as the horns were shaped for cutting. The monster’s blade met my own, and we bounced off each other, making distance for another pass. But I was left in better straits than my opponent, because its blade was attached to its head. Of course, the hornse had a fair bit of resistance against concussions given the nature of its natural weapon, but it wasn’t perfect. Even that small amount of damage made me come out ahead.

We passed each other a few more times, and our blades met like before. I would’ve gone for its body, but I risked trading blows in that case, and I wasn’t keen on getting cut. So eventually, I decided to cheat and duck into the forest, putting the hornse at an even greater disadvantage. It could barely maneuver around the thick foliage of trees, whereas I was very good at it, and getting even better because of all this recent practice. I ran circles around the creature, literally, landing cuts towards its torso and rear.

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The hornse started to flag once its torso started leaking blood. Its maneuverability suffered further when its legs were injured, one even being severed outright. That was really only possible, because I cheated once again with my higher-quality weapon.

I finished the fight when the monster could move no longer. I didn’t bother trying to read its expression before I chopped off its head.

It took a few strikes.

“Yus!” I pumped my fist in celebration. My parents joined me in my glee, but it was unfortunately short-lived.

There was a reason a hornse was found all the way out here. One among their own, had reached truly ridiculous levels. I heard my mom mutter the number 60, maybe more. That higher-leveled one had brought its herd of a good couple dozen here.

I immediately switched gears in my head, as I saw the tension in my parents. They were naturally more wary out here, in untamed territory, but not to this extent. I cast my senses outwards, and caught sight of our opponent. Its body was a darker shade, about twice the mass of the others. The blade upon its head shone in the afternoon light.

I readied my mana and my spells, imagining the most burning expression of hell, but then Mom suddenly grabbed my hand clutched to my wand, and pulled it down.

“Haell, listen to me,” she said. “Run.”

I blinked. “Wha–no, I can help.”

“No. This is out of your league. Run. Now.”

“Well… but…” I looked back at the enemy leader. It neighed a deep rumbling sound, staring at us with absolutely hostile intent as it scraped its hooves across the ground. I tore my eyes away from that biggest threat, and towards the other hornses around it. “It’s not alone. There’s many of them. I’ll take on the smaller ones.”

“No, Haell. You can’t. It’s too dangerous, and some of them are–”

“Please! I can help!”

“No you can’t!” She snapped, whirling toward me with an intense expression. I winced, involuntarily, remembering my previous mother. “You promised, Haell. You’ll follow our lead. You know the way back? We’ve been teaching you to navigate?”

I nodded on reflex.

“Good. Go. Find your way back. Tell them of the danger.”

I looked at her, and then at my dad. “What? You’ll be fine, right?”

“Of course,” she said with confidence, patting me on the head. “Now go!”

My mother gave me no further chances to argue, as she gave me a heavy shove into the direction I ought to go. The lead enemy hissed out a neigh at the same moment, and I caught a bit of the start of the battle. Its bladed horn was able to slice through tree and bark, and my dad was immediately pushed back by its momentum, carrying the speed of a fucking train.

My feet slid off the ground, I scrambled for traction amongst the pebbles underneath. I flailed off balance, before I was finally able to correct my posture and run.

I went northwards, toward the town. I estimated the proper direction by the position of the sun, and my rough idea of the current time. Trees, bushes, and the occasional boulder barred my way, but I leapt and maneuvered around them, taking the shortest route I could spot. I still wasn’t sure about this course of action, about leaving my parents behind, but now that the choice had been made, I’d stick to it and do my very best!

I was forced to make many detours, away from opponents concealed and visible both. I scanned the canopies above me, and adjusted my route accordingly, having spotted some bungeys. Monkey-like creatures with freakishly long and elastic tails. They dropped down from above, to pull unsuspecting creatures to prey upon.

I did not allow myself to become one of then.

Sweat poured across my form as I ran, cooling my skin and soothing the body. My legs pumped, my wand was clutched by a death grip on my left hand. A raging mass of mana followed me in my wake, it followed me as I blazed past the environment.

I saw a tiger crouching in the underbrush, I intuited that I was its target. This type of animal started with level 10 Mutations, a disadvantage that I was certain I could overcome, but one which my parents hadn’t yet allowed me to test. It would be a hard-fought battle for certain, and I had no intention of testing my theories here, in this situation.

I veered left, and sure enough the animal followed, having designated me as prey after all. I ran around a bush and then another, as the tiger steadily gained ground on me. My agility didn’t prove superior against this animal.

But this might.

Hellfire.

A very tiny spark flared to life, and the brush right behind me stirred. The bushspider hissed, and promptly latched on to the tiger nearest its face.

I didn’t stay to watch the struggle play out, instead choosing to distance myself from the fighting. I took a moment to reorient myself, and then I sprinted back towards the town. I felt thankful for my human physique, as most other bodies of this level would have flagged by now.

I’m still changing it to a demon though!

My dreams of demonhood would mean nothing if I did not escape from here pronto. I saw a pair of wolves bar my way, growling defensively. I instinctively reached for my sword, being confident against these opponents that I’d killed many times before, but those same instincts told me that something was terribly wrong. My attention focused on one if them, a wolf drooling from the sustained growl. The individual animal gave me a feeling of inferiority, which stoked the flames of my temper, but I remained rational.

It was a vague thing, a vague instinct, but I felt that the opponent was stronger.

There was no reason to take the risk.

I detoured around them. They did not give chase. I heard long and sustained howling from behind me, but I did not look back.

Closer now, just a little bit longer. I’d almost made it back to town. I reached a patch of forest that was somehow riddled with ambush predators, or those that need not hide. Like a bear, or a family of gorillas. I examined all my options, and found an area patrolled only by a single murdle. The violent maroon bird that I’d fought before.

I chose that path and resumed my way home. I held a dagger and a wand respectively, in my two hands. The murdle reacted quickly to my attempted passage, and it was burned by part of the blanket of mana around me that suddenly burst aflame. I’d learned to selectively activate parts of it, even in a large and continuous mass.

The momentum of the bird carried it forward through the fire, severely injured and burning, but not yet dead. I met its flight with my dagger, and I found purchase in its chest. My hand was burned in the process, because the bird was on fire, and I found myself lacerated by the animal’s claws a couple of times. The pain was immense, and I wanted to scream, but I knew how bad of an idea it would be to draw even more attention to myself.

I centered myself, and fought against that involuntary urge to cry out in agony. My mind became dead set on the current mission, I could see the tree wall from here, taller than the rest of the forest.

A breath nearly like a growl escaped my lips, and I sped up even further, faster than any sprint I’d achieved before.

My heart pumped, the world slowed down, the muscles of my body clenched and unclenched rapidly. Twigs broke upon my steps, pebbles were kicked along my stride, until finally I made it to my destination.

[Adrenaline Gland has leveled up to 5!]