Extract from the -{ Tome of Light }- the divine scripture of the Church of Light.
"When the stars themselves marvel at my brilliance, let mortals and immortals alike acknowledge my supremacy. I am the zenith of celestial beauty, the pinnacle of divine grace, and the sovereign ruler of all realms." (The Perfection of Light - 2:4)
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Hunter's POV
Gabriel moved through the forest with predatory grace, his footsteps silent on the moss-covered ground. The late afternoon sun filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows across his path. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, a reminder of the recent rains.
He'd been tracking his prey for hours - the elusive triple-horned black deer. Its meat was prized for its flavor, its hide for its durability. But more than that, Gabriel sought the thrill of the hunt itself.
The forest seemed to hold its breath around him. No creature dared stir, instinctively aware of the apex predator in their midst. Even the leaves seemed to whisper warnings as he passed.
A flicker of movement caught Gabriel's eye. He looked up, spotting a wisp of white smoke materializing into a bird-like form. One of his smoke puppets, returned from scouting ahead. Its body shimmered with hints of gray-red, a testament to Gabriel's mastery over his ability.
The spectral bird circled overhead, its movements conveying a clear message - prey had been found. Gabriel's lips curled into a small, anticipatory smile. He removed the ornate pipe from his mouth, exhaling a dense cloud of smoke. The vapor swirled and coalesced, taking on the form of a massive bird, easily large enough to bear his weight.
With fluid grace, Gabriel leapt onto its back. The smoke construct's wings beat silently, propelling them through the air. The wind whipped past Gabriel's face as they soared above the treetops, following the smaller scout.
Minutes later, they descended upon a small clearing. There, grazing in apparent tranquility, was a herd of five black deer-beasts. Their fur gleamed like polished onyx in the fading sunlight, and their antlers spread like gnarled tree branches reaching for the sky. These were no ordinary deer - each was equivalent to a third-realm cultivator, creatures of significant power.
One of the beasts raised its head, nostrils flaring as it caught Gabriel's scent. Its eyes widened in alarm, and it let out a piercing call to warn its fellows. But it was already too late.
Gabriel launched himself from his smoke mount, plummeting towards the herd like a bolt of living lightning. As he fell, he activated his storage ring, his body instantly encased in sleek, dark armor. Twin machetes materialized in his hands, their blades glinting with deadly promise.
Smoke poured from his slightly parted lips, twisting and writhing until it took on the sinuous form of a dragon. It coiled around Gabriel's descending form, infused with streaks of blood-red pneuma that emanated from his body. The energy condensed around his forearms and hands, forming ethereal crimson gauntlets. Even his machetes seemed to drink in the power, their edges taking on a menacing red undertone.
The deer-beasts, for their part, were not defenseless. Their antlers glowed with golden light, projecting a shimmering shield around the herd. The very earth rose to their aid, jagged pillars of stone erupting from the ground to impale the falling hunter.
The two forces collided in a thunderous explosion of smoke, earth, and raw power. The air itself seemed to shudder from the impact.
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When the dust settled, Gabriel stood atop the lifeless body of the herd's leader, his blades dripping with its lifeblood. He surveyed the remaining beasts, their eyes wide with terror.
"Leave," he commanded, his voice calm but carrying an unmistakable edge of threat.
The surviving deer-beasts needed no further encouragement. They fled, their hooves barely seeming to touch the ground in their haste to escape.
Gabriel sighed, the rush of combat fading. He summoned another smoke construct, this one taking the form of a massive falcon. With practiced ease, he maneuvered the corpse of his prey into the falcon's talons, then took his place atop its back.
As they soared back towards the clearing he called home, Gabriel's thoughts turned to Asher. The boy was progressing, but there was still so much for him to learn. The harshness of this world would not wait for him to be ready.
Asher's POV
Asher lay on his back, muscles screaming from the day's brutal training. The grass beneath him was cool, a small comfort against the aches that seemed to reach into his very bones. His eyes were fixed on the system prompts floating before him, a mixture of excitement and unease churning in his gut.
Three new skills. The hunter had emphasized how rare and difficult it was to gain skills, yet here Asher was, with three appearing seemingly out of nowhere. It didn't add up, and that bothered him.
His mind raced, trying to connect the dots. The strange experiment, the man who'd made the deal with him, the apparent differences between his system and the one used by others like the hunter - it all pointed to something larger at play, something he couldn't quite grasp.
With a grimace of effort, Asher pulled up his status screen:
[ Name: Asher Whitlock ]
[ Race: Human ] [ unawakened ]
[ Skills: Beginner Sword Mastery Lv.1, Beginner Knife Mastery Lv.1, Beginner Close-Combat Mastery Lv.1 ]
[ Quest: 2 active quests ]
He focused on one of the skills, curiosity overriding his physical discomfort:
[ Beginner Sword Mastery Lv.1 (Passive):
* Increase the learning speed of all sword techniques by 10%,
* All physical stats are boosted by 1% when a sword is used. ]
'Broken,' Asher thought, a mix of awe and trepidation washing over him. These passive boosts, applying to all related techniques and providing stat increases, seemed almost too good to be true. He couldn't help but wonder what further developments awaited as he leveled up these skills.
A movement in the sky caught Asher's attention, pulling him from his musings. A white shape approached the clearing, growing more distinct with each passing moment. Despite his aching body's protests, Asher scrambled to his feet, grasping his sword.
As the form resolved into a massive bird clutching an equally imposing black carcass, Asher's grip on his weapon tightened. His heart raced, adrenaline surging through his system. It was only when the construct landed and dissipated into smoke that he noticed Gabriel perched atop it.
Relief flooded through Asher, his sword arm dropping as tension bled from his frame. Gabriel's voice cut through the evening air:
"Come. I'll teach you how to skin a beast."
Asher followed Gabriel to a small hut behind the main house, where the hunter expertly hung the carcass and began to drain its blood. The metallic scent filled the air, making Asher's stomach churn.
"Take out your knife and follow my lead," Gabriel instructed, his tone brooking no argument.
As they worked, Gabriel broke off the beast's antlers with a knife that briefly glowed red. He then demonstrated how to make the initial cut, guiding Asher through the process of separating hide from flesh.
Asher's movements were hesitant, his hands trembling slightly as he worked. The reality of what he was doing - dismembering a once-living creature - threatened to overwhelm him. The knife felt slippery in his grasp, whether from sweat or blood, he couldn't tell.
Gabriel, ever observant, addressed Asher's unease directly: "You will have to get used to blood and gore if you want to fill your stomach and survive for a long time. The price of life is very cheap in the myriad realms. Leave the ideals ingrained into you on your planet; they will only hold you back. Your enemies will not play by your rules, much less wild beasts and creatures like these."
The words hit Asher like a physical blow. For a moment, he saw himself in place of the carcass, his own life as fragile and easily ended as the deer beast's. He took a deep breath, steeling himself against the wave of nausea and fear that threatened to overwhelm him.
With renewed determination, Asher returned to his task. His movements were still clumsy, but the hesitation was gone. It was a silent acknowledgment of Gabriel's harsh wisdom, a step towards becoming the person he would need to survive in this unforgiving world.
The Hunter once again started talking in a calm voice.
"While you may encounter many enemies during your journey, remember that all beings have two critical organs. One is usually a heart or for more magical or mystical beings a mana circuit, and the second a brain or it can be a small crystal nucleus, even pure magical beings have these. Learn to identify these at a glance.”
Finished with his side the hunter took out a cloth and cleaned his blade. Pointing at the corpse he continued.
“Warm-blooded beings like this one here have generally the same anatomical pattern as normal animals before the integration just that the increase in size and muscle mass may cause slight variation. Always pay attention to the movements of opponents, it can tell you a lot about their anatomy. Every being has natural physical vulnerabilities. If it seems they are physically invulnerable it just means they have a magical weakness if that's not it either then it can be a mental weakness.”
As they worked silently, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the clearing. The lesson continued a grim but necessary education in the realities of life and death in the myriad realms.