My mind had calmed, and my body no longer under the weight and conflict of my emotions.

But after thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion to bottle up all of those emotions and lock them deep within me.

I knew it was not a permanent conclusion, but my mind was nonetheless like an ocean right now, where many storms brewed at the same time.

The memories of my past life were now only my past, but, they still haunted me.

Even if the people I cherished the most were alive now, the guilt which clawed at the back of my throat, constantly telling me to never forget that despair, those deaths, those mistakes I made.

But to move forward and correct those mistakes after trial and error, was what my Master had taught me.

Right now all I need to do is to focus on what’s in front of me. The past can never be changed or altered, but, the future which held unlimited possibilities can.

So I will pave a future which brings everyone happiness.

Soon I reached and entered the arena and gazed at the mana beast which was my opponent for the event.

A Saber Tiger!

Saber Tigers are vicious beasts for their ferociousness and the way they kill their prey. They first strike at their prey's eyes, trying to blind them to seize the upper hand with their speed and mobility. Afterwards just the normal shit any monster would do, rip your arms off, eat your legs and sever your head.

Certainly hard beasts to deal with. I placed my hand over my chin and nodded in acknowledgement.

The features of the Saber Tiger caught my attention.

Its purple fur, coupled with many black spots around its body. It was twice my size and had long white daggers for teeth as his vicious scarlet eyes displayed the predator it was.

Same was the case with its claws, they were almost as big as my palm, with an obsidian black colour. It’s tails waved like a ripple, with its claws scrapping the floor making an eerie atmosphere around it.

I took a deep breath and pulled Bleak Star out of the sheath; which had been resting above my hip.

Ting—! Ting—! Ting—!

A monotonous sound resounded and I lunged forward. I held Bleak Star firmly in my hand and the mana inside my body circulating, ready to be used.

The Saber Tiger pulled its body backwards a few inches and then shot forward. Its speed was remarkable.

My sword and it’s claws clashed and sparks flew left and right.

I turned my heel and pushed the Saber Tiger backwards. Then with a twirl, I drew an arc. The Saber Tiger dodged and jumped backwards with a quick sweep.

It growled with an eerie voice, but I didn’t pay it much mind.

This time the Saber Tiger lunged in my direction. I steadied my grip over Bleak Star and pulled my right leg slightly forward.

The Saber Tiger propelled its claws towards me, but ducking down, I channelled the mana inside me and with a sweep, my heel connected to its side, sending it tumbling a few metres to the side.

It groaned in pain, as it shot up on its feet and dashed in my direction again. The scrapping sound of it's claws entered my ears.

But this time, I took the hit.

I loosened my grip over my sword and held it upwards, to act as if I was about to intercept.

The Saber Tiger covered the distance and shot in my direction like a bullet released from its chamber.

Again my sword and its claws clashed and sparks came to life. I pressed my heel on the floor and tried to intercept the attack.

“Uek...”

I groaned in pain as one of its claws grazed me on my left bicep. But increasing my grip over Bleak Star, I changed the trajectory of my sword and pushed the monster to my left side.

It rolled twice and regained its balance and shot up to its feet.

I touched my bicep, and felt the warm and wet sensation of blood. I rubbed my thumb and index finger with the blood in between, then wiped it off on my protection suit.

By now I was merely using a quarter of my strength. Around thirty percent.

Come on, if I fucking bulldozed that Saber Tiger in one go wouldn’t it make me look suspicious?

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But come to think of it, two people have already seen what I had on the first day; one being Adam and the other Samuel.

‘Ah well,’ I shrugged and then locked my eyes on the Saber Tiger.

But something had been bugging me since the start of the fight.

Again the Saber Tiger shot towards me. My eyes locked on to its claws, which shined with a dim black glow.

It was barely visible so I wasn’t sure of it. So I thought it was only the colour of it’s claws.

It covered the distance in a blink and vertically slashed downwards with its claws. I put pressure on my calve muscles and dodged with a nimble movement.

The Saber Tiger disappeared from in front of me and reappeared behind me.

It tried to strike at my back, but I twirled with a rough turn of my heel and horizontally slashed, clashing my sword against the Saber Tiger's claws.

It cocked its legs downwards and shot upwards.

The Saber Tiger’s claws came close to my face, but at the exact moment it propelled upwards, I channelled the mana inside me and kneed the Saber Tiger in its chest.

I dodged its claws by a hair’s length and back-flipped, creating some distance between us.

The Saber Tiger weakly got up from the floor and looked at me with a dead look in its eyes. The scarlet eyes of the Saber Tiger glowed brightly and locked onto me with more viciousness.

‘I think it’s about time I end it,’ I shook my hand and took a stance.

Again the Saber Tiger dashed towards me, but this time, it covered the distance more quickly than before.

Its speed matched mine when I had fought with the demon in the Devil’s Whisper dungeon; who’s name I don’t know, nor do I care.

I pulled Bleak star downwards, and the Saber Tiger propelled its claws towards my eyes.

I let it’s claws get closer to my eyes, and when its claws almost reached near my eyelashes, I circulated the mana inside me and shot my left hand forward and redirected its claws to my left.

I was pushed back a step by its innate strength, but putting more strength into my arm I pushed harder.

Sequentially, I propelled Bleak Star forward and with a shift of my wrist I thrust Bleak Star into the Saber Tiger's body. Soon with a flesh cutting noise, the Saber Tiger jumped backwards and stumbled on the floor.

My protection suit near my forearm was ripped and three cuts had appeared over my forearm, with blood dripping down on the floor.

I glanced at the Saber Tiger's dead body. It lifelessly laid on the floor. Trickles of its blood dripped down from Bleak Star blade.

I felt a sting in my wrist when I tried to crack it.

‘Mind’s Eye,' I activated Mind’s Eye and gazed at lifeless body of the Saber Tiger. But my suspicion was for naught.

It’s mana signature was no longer there, and on closer look I noticed that the Saber Tiger had stopped breathing. I had pierced its heart perfectly.

I deactivated Mind’s Eye, then turned around and decided to leave the arena, but at the back of my head I felt there was still something... something missing.

The strength and speed that the Saber Tiger displayed was not something which an rank monster could possess. And Saber Tigers are placed in the lower rank.

But it's power and speed matched a rank or almost

My eyes shot wide open on the sudden realisation. Just as I was about to turn around, I felt a massive force—like a truck, moving on 100 km/h— crash into me from behind. I saw a bright black glow envelop my back from behind.

I painfully groaned, as I saw the mana crystals of my protection suit ripple and crack, forming a thin greenish barrier around me.

But I heard a glass shattering sound soon which followed a flesh cutting sound—my flesh.

A warm and painful sensation enveloped my entire body.

I fell on the floor and saw the figure of the Saber Tiger on it’s feet. It’s body looked more vicious than before. Its teeth had grown more rigid, and its claws glowed with an eerie black glow, like the one I had seen before.

Its size had also increased.

If it was twice my size before, now it was thrice that. Its scarlet eyes looked even more blood thirsty.

“A mutant...,” I muttered as I gazed at the now evolved Saber Tiger.

Mutation is a special process among the monsters.

Like us humans, monsters can also break through and increase their strength. But that is only possible by a few handful of monsters.

The monsters devour each other to survive; like nature’s law. But amongst them there are some exceptional monsters which can grow stronger by consuming monsters and different life forms.

Which boosts their mana and life-force, allowing them to evolve and reach a higher rank.

When we humans breakthrough to the next rank, our body gets heavier and it oozes of power with a current like sensation running all around our body, implying the breakthrough.

But for monsters this process changes the entire structure of their biology, causing their body to temporarily die.

But after the process ends, the monsters are reborn. More powerful! But most monsters simply die during this process, due to the backlash and withdrawal of mana.

These types of monsters were named, ‘Mutants’!

“Uek...” a light moan escaped my mouth as I saw the Saber Tiger approach in my direction.

I pushed upwards, but my body didn’t respond. My back had three long wounds, through which blood was spilling out.

My blood dripped down on the floor and formed a small pool beneath me.

With a tap of the Saber Tiger’s foot on the floor, my body became alert. I increased my grip on Bleak Star and forcefully pushed my body upwards.

A black halo smoke exuded from the Saber Tiger’s claws and mouth, as it closely covered the distance between us.

Its two tails waved as it stepped forward.

I gasped hard for air, as I looked at the towering monster in front of me.

I saw darkness start to envelop the edges of my eyes. My small mistake of not considering that possibility of it being a mutant had caused me dearly.

After a second, I felt a shockwave which made the hair at the back of my head stand. I saw the Saber Tiger disappear and reappear a few metres away from me.

Just as it was about to attack—kill— me.

I saw a blinding bright light slide from beside me, and slam into the Saber Tiger.

I focused my gaze onto the bright light, which was blindingly beautiful—like the light of early dawn—, and saw the figure of an eagle, but not just any eagle.

It’s feathers were a heart warming orange colour, and it was even bigger than the Saber Tiger in size.

I looked at it from behind, standing in between me and the Saber Tiger, as if trying to protect me from the vicious monster.

It turned it’s head backwards and looked at me with it’s beautiful yellow eyes. My eyes landed on its pale beak which perfectly complimented its feathers and eyes, which made me think of only one thing when I looked at the eagle, “Beautiful!”

The Saber Tiger lunged in the direction of the eagle and its claws shined with an eerie black smoke.

But without even wasting a movement, the eagle slammed the Saber Tiger into the floor with a sweep from It's leg, and brought its beak close to its left side.

With a quick thrust, the mighty eagle pierced through its skin, pulling the Saber Tiger's heart out.

With a final cry, the Saber Tiger dropped dead on the floor and turned into thousands of motes of light.

I looked at the eagle one last time, before collapsing on the floor and losing consciousness.