A lone carnotaurus wandered the woods of the Proving Grounds, making its way towards where it smelled the humans. The lizard had no idea why it was compelled it to hunt them, only that it knew these invaders had to be wiped out for trespassing in its territory.

It jerked its head to the side as a new smell approached. A lone human, one drenched in blood, still far away but closer to the carnotaurus than the other human's scents. This one bore a repugnant odour, one inexplicably familiar to the carnotaurus. The blood of its kin, the human had been soaked in carnotaurus blood. The lizard shifted to face this lone human, expecting to face no greater hardship than a slightly long walk, despite the obvious signs to the contrary.

The smell was approaching, moving in the carnotaurus' direction, a collision between the two inevitable and growing closer by the second. The dinosaur's eyes barely had time to recognise the rapidly moving creature that suddenly emerged ahead of it as one of the humans, before its head was cut from its neck. The last thing it ever saw was a cold metallic blue flash as its head fell to the ground.

"Level up! You are now a Level 15 Swordsman! +2 Power, +2 Speed, +2 Constitution, +5 Intelligence, +5 Wisdom."

Another corpse to be collected in Leon's ring. Wavecutter was returned to its scabbard as he took a moment to check his status sheet.

Name- Leon Knox

Race- [Human]

Grade- [H]

Class- [Common-Swordsman]- Level 15/25

Job-None!

Stat Block:

HP-320/360

MP-0/210

Power-37 (74)

Speed-37 (74)

Constitution-36

Intelligence-21

Wisdom-20

Fame-2

Infamy-0

Skills:

[Swordsman's Eye]-Level 3/10

[Sword Affinity]- Level 1/1

[Giant Slayer Style]- Level 1/1

Insights:

Water's Power- Early Shallow

Quests:

Wide Base- Attain a baseline competency with many classifications of sword

Progress:

Straight Swords- 1/1

Curved Swords- 1/1

Thrusting Swords- 1/1

Greatswords- 0/1

Curved Greatswords- 0/1

Ultra Greatswords- 1/1

Reward-Class Skill

The power and speed he could bring to bear while channelling Ebb and Flow was intoxicating, the ease with which he dispatched his foes, a joy to experience. Each level boosted his stats ever higher, the carnotaurus population no longer posed a challenge now that his level equalled theirs and his stats were double their base.

Still, the circuit was slowly killing him, having depleted his health by forty points over the last thirty minutes. His Constitution was not boosted to the same heights as his Speed and Power, the increased strain on his body slowly breaking it down as he kept the circuit active. Still riding the high of another level up, a chemical cocktail of adrenaline and endorphins numbing his pain and keeping his mind sharp, Leon continued running westwards.

The carnotaurus had been a chance encounter. He'd already swept through the area around his campsite, removing any latent threats while pumping up his multiplier. Now that it was fully pumped up it was time to kill two birds with one stone- finally mastering the Shifting Tides Style and convincingly defeating an enemy that had troubled him the day prior.

While on the way to the valley, Leon took a wrong turn, arriving at the edge of a cliff, a sprawling marsh laid out beneath him. The wind whipped across body, the chill a welcome relief after running himself ragged hunting dinosaurs.

The circuit was testing his control, the flow of mana in his veins accompanied by the rampaging torrent of energy that was enhancing his Power and Speed. Were he to lose control of his circuit now it wouldn't be as simple as merely having to pay a mana cost to activate it again.

These energies would tear his body apart. Having already used up a sizable amount of his energy to keep his body in working condition, Leon was sure that losing control of the circuit or botching the use of Tsunami would lead to his death- if not immediately then soon after.

He took only a moment to look out over the marsh below. No doubt this was one of the areas he would be heading to after the Woods Tyrant was felled. Another marsh was his destination however, the stage upon which he would either successfully use his final technique, or blow his own arm into shredded meat.

Turning, back Leon began tracking down the valley that housed the Blight Marsh. It was a lengthy process, the woods lacking any notable landmarks to navigate off. Only ten minutes worth of mana remained within the circuit by the time he entered into the Blight Marsh, having found the valley more by luck than skill.

The downpour, the illusory overcast sky above. The thick and sticky mud that clung to his shoes, each step sending him deeper into the muck until the filth had risen to his ankles, spilling inside his feet, each step more uncomfortable than the last. Leon thanked his borrowed hair tie, for having held up for so long.

Stalking amongst the reeds Leon waited with bated breath. The spinosaurus was here, likely doing the same, though it slid through shallow waters rather than skulking through the mud banks, both hunter's waiting for a chance to strike. Its back sail would protrude above the water, Leon only needed to wait until it exposed itself.

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Seconds slipped by and minutes trickled away, Leon's time left was further reduced. With only five minutes left to launch his attack he moved, off the mud platforms and into the water, making waves as he did so, drawing the creature to him.

It struck in much the same way as its brother had, a charge, beginning from below, fangs bared, arms extended with claws ready to gore the human it had finally located. A roar, intended to strike fear into its prey.

Leon's perception slowed, the entire world collapsed as his focus narrowed to only three elements. The spinosaurus, a great grey apex predator from Earth's distant past. Leon's eyes locked on the centre of the beast's skull, ignoring the pointed fangs within said skull. The target.

His weapon, Wavecutter, clasped in his hand. Right hand to the handle, knuckles white as he strained his grip. Left hand to the scabbard, to keep it steady on the draw. Feet planted firmly, the stagnant marsh water unable to effect his footing, so great was his fixation, so ardent his desire. The implement.

His circuit, power and mana leaving his legs, his waist, all flowing into one arm, his skin cracking apart under the pressure and might of such concentrated energy. The power.

A single flash, the blade of Wavecutter drinking in the mana and accumulated force from tens of attacks, the blue metal shining with an otherworldly luminescence as it met the flesh of the spinosaurus.

A whisper was all Leon could muster, the swordsman too focused on keeping his sword arm steady to properly belittle his enemy.

"Tsunami"

No part of the beast offered any resistance, the might of Tsunami cutting it straight down the middle, skull split in two, only Wavecutter's length was stopping it from bisecting the dinosaur. Beyond the cold metal of the blade a projected beam of pure energy continued on, splitting the spinosaurus from top to tail, the cut so perfectly uniform that one could have bound the two halves together again with little visual indication that they had ever been parted.

The sword beam continued on, cutting through water, reed and mud bank alike, carving a new river into the Blight Marsh, fresh water rushing in to fill the gaps the sword beam left in its wake. Dissipating only after its energy was exhausted, Leon looked upon his handiwork with pride, before collapsing on his back.

"You have slain a Level 20 Venomback Spinosaurus!"

"Level up! You are now a Level 16 Swordsman! +2 Power, +2 Speed, +2 Constitution."

"Skill learned- [Shifting Tides Style]- Level 1/3

"Dungeon Cleared- Blight Marsh!"

The pain of the level up was nothing compared to the agony in his arm. White hot, constant and throbbing. Leon couldn't even tell if he had an arm anymore, the marsh water doing little to soothe his aching flesh. His forsook sight, knowing he would be unable to stomach the current condition of his body, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing.

Leon normally had a poor sense of time but in this particular instance he could feel every second passing him by, every minute that elapsed of the hour he lay there, counting each and every one of those seconds, as his ruined body slowly searched for the energy it desperately needed to forge itself anew. He felt the cold set in, his body lacking the requisite energy to even shiver. The wet disgusting muck that clung to his exposed skin, the way his armour ever so slightly chafed against his back all doing their best to erode his sanity.

Madness did not claim his mind, he maintained his composure, somehow, someway. The slime king had not beaten him. The arena's carnotaurus had not beaten him. The spinosaurus had, definitely, not beaten him. A little pain and discomfort would not defeat him. Not now, not ever.

The meagre amount of energy he had in reserve was enough for Leon to restore his locomotive capability, though he was limited to crawling on all fours through the marshlands. Wavecutter was finally returned to its scabbard, the brilliant blue blade looking more like a club than a sword, having been lost its edge due to an extended stay outside its sheath.

Leon needed energy. He knew that, despite his formidable prowess, he would die without a way to restore his body. If not here then on the journey back. There was only one option- the spinosaurus. Slowly he raised himself off his back, using his left hand to pull himself onto the mud bank nearby, the thick reeds acting as handholds to pull himself along with.

He caught sight of his right arm. It was mangled, twisted at an unnatural angle. The arm had popped out of its socket, the bone looked broken, his skin was swelling and had suffered greatly from the overwhelming energy. Burnt the whole limb looked as though Leon had submerged it in flames. It hung at his side, a pale fleshy tube that refused his commands, unable to even move. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt, each moment was worse than the last.

Incredulous, he voiced his doubt to the empty dungeon.

"How the fuck did I lose to my own technique?"

His voice was croaky and breaking, barely above a whisper in volume. He clawed his way along the mudbank as fast as he could move with only one working arm, desperate to reach the spinosaurus corpse.

Over slick scales the swordsman slid, reaching his prize. The rain soaked flesh of the dead dino. Leon hesitated for only a moment before sinking his teeth into the rare dino steak before him.

It was a struggle, choking down the raw meat, mouthful after mouthful. More than once did Leon's stomach rebel, attempting to disgorge his hard won meal. He refused its demands, chewing the flesh into pulp in his mouth then swallowing, hoping that would abate the complaints of his digestive system.

Another hour. Another agonising hour spent on one half of a spinosaurus corpse, forcing down bite after wretched bite of his latest kill's corpse. He was never leaving base again without filling his storage ring with mountains of food.

His healing was slow to start. The skin was first, a disgusting moulting process occurring as the scarred skin was replaced with a fresh epidermal layer. Then the bone. Fragment by broken fragment, re-aligning within his flesh. He bit into his gauntlet at the start of the process, suppressing the screams he felt building up inside him.

They came anyway, his throat raw and his voice gone by the time the bone had reformed. His ultimate goal was what he kept in mind throughout, his life's ambition helping him to endure the pain. The strongest being to ever live, the greatest swordsman. This injury would one day be little worse than a papercut compared to the wounds he would inflict and be inflicted with in his pursuit of the peak. Under the System there could be no growth without pain- the only choice was whether or not you wished to be the killer or the corpse. Crush or be crushed.

Once his arm had regained some range of motion, then came the task of popping his shoulder back into place. Carefully raising his arm above his head and slowly extending it towards his other shoulder he felt the ball shoulder joint pop back into place.

More pain, more eating, more gagging. Half an hour of sitting upon the dead enemy once all the healing was done. He felt he deserved a break after that ordeal. Once he'd mentally recovered enough he began thinking out loud. It always helped Leon plot his next moves, any obvious flaws he would hopefully be able to catch while working through his plans.

"Next time, I'm doing a Tsunami at a 1.01 times boost, fuck ruining myself every time I want something dead, I clearly need to practice that move and reduce the rebound on it. Missions for today all accomplished, I guess. Just need to pump my levels. Couple decently sized gecko trains and I'll be get to 17, should be enough but I'll check with Zerasos once I'm done."

Before storing the corpse in his ring, Leon's gaze lingered for a moment on the beast's still intact spine.

"Another one for my collection."

Chuckling to himself he observed the devastation of Tsunami with fresh eyes. The marsh had been parted, mud banks destroyed, reeds parted down the middle. That was Tsunami, a single devastating attack that guaranteed the enemy's death in exchange for heavily injuring the user. Without a small reserve of energy Leon would have dies in the marsh's waters unable to move as his body slowly died.

A sobering thought, that re-aligned the order of his goals- food was first on the list. Risking his life was all well and good but Leon refused to die to something as boring as environmental exposure. His swordsman's pride demanded better than that.

His combat style was beginning to take shape, with Bladeless and the Giant Slayer Style being his first port of call, a style that sought to exploit the natural momentum of combat. If the enemy was overwhelmingly powerful or possessed means to counter his Giant Slayer Style, he still had the Shifting Tides Style and Wavecutter to act as a trump card. once he could aspect his mana his strength would take another qualitative leap forward, doubling the power of his Shifting Tides Style techniques.

Climbing out of the dungeon Leon emerged into the afternoon sun, the artificial warmth caressing his skin, whispering a truth to him. That he had once again won, proved the value of his existence to the world and been rewarded with power for his skill.

Now- he was going to fill his storage ring with enough rations to feed an army.