Bjorn and Bloodblade trudged along a dusty road, unaware of the increasing danger they faced. It had been three days since Bloodblade's breakthrough, and after much deliberation, they decided it was time to interact with civilization again.Bloodblade needed seven rare herbs to create an antidote for the poison used on the patriarch. He already had two of the seven herbs and needed help finding the rest."One more time, I need to hear their names," Bloodblade requested."Moonshade leaf, Starfall sage, Elderbark roots…" Bjorn listed the herbs, describing their appearance and function.Bjorn paid close attention, determined to succeed in their mission despite the tedious task of learning about herbs."Good, good. One of the herbs grows in this region. I hope we can find it in the town ahead or at least get a lead on where to find it," Bloodblade mused aloud.They trekked for three long hours before spotting a town in the distance. With hurried steps, they arrived at the small town, whic
As Bjorn and Bloodblade stepped outside, his shadow stealthily attached itself back to him, while the other shadow followed their stalkers, keeping an eye on the people following them. Bjorn and Bloodblade left the town with determined steps. Immediately after they passed the gates, they set off on a run. They ran at a fast pace, making sure that whoever was tracking them could follow them but not make it too easy since they didn’t bother covering their tracks for them.They ran for hours before heading into the wilderness. Immediately after they got into the forest, Bjorn released his first shadow to scout ahead and provide the location of adept-level beasts.Bjorn was taking no chances since they didn’t know the cultivation base of their pursuers. To make sure they survived, he was going to devour the life force of the beasts his shadow would find.“Do you think you can find adept-level beasts with your blood sensory skill?” Bjorn asked out of the blue.“Why are you after beasts w
Bjorn and Bloodblade turned to face the masked individuals that stepped into the clearing. They were wearing black robes that covered every inch of their bodies, and their figures seemed hazy, making it hard to study anything about them.“Assassins!” Bjorn and Bloodblade thought at the same time, their eyes narrowing.The assassins were relaxed as they took in the state of the clearing with dead beasts littering the ground. “Impressive,” one of the assassins commented.“Why are you after us?” Bjorn asked in a frosty tone.The assassins seemed confident. Assassins are known to always strike from the shadows, but these ones were bold enough to face them head-on. “Either they are way stronger than us, or they are underestimating us,” Bjorn thought to himself.“If they underestimate us, I will make them pay dearly,” Bjorn vowed.“You knew we were coming after you?” the masked man standing in the middle asked in a bewildered tone.Neither Bjorn nor Bloodblade deigned to reply to them, just
While Bjorn fought the leader of the masked assassins, Bloodblade faced a fight on two fronts. He battled the assassin in front of him and struggled against the dark monkey's will inside him.Bloodblade rarely used this power because it put a huge strain on his body, leaving him extremely weak afterward. He also had to resist the will of the beast whose bloodline he was taking on. The ability to use any bloodline for a short time was extremely rare for a blood mage. But, like all power, it came at a great cost. Bloodblade had to fight to stay conscious and remember who he was, struggling against the bloodline's influence. If he lost, he risked turning into a mindless beast.Seeing Bjorn’s determination to hunt and devour beast lifeforce, just to be ready for anything, sparked something inside Bloodblade. He now understood why his father never spoiled him with resources, even though he could easily have done so. His father always pushed him to attain anything he wanted through hard w
Bjorn stood in the middle of the clearing, His heart was pounding as he narrowly dodged a short sword that was coming straight at his chest. Every part of him was focused on surviving. Then, he heard a loud victory roar from his friend, Bloodblade, and allowed himself a quick smile."That's what I'm talking about," Bjorn said, his voice full of relief and excitement. Blood dripped from a cut on his lip, but he smiled confidently, showing the blood in his teeth to his enemy.The assassin froze, taking a few steps back. His eyes widened with shock and disbelief. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were told their targets were just beginner mages—not too weak, but certainly not strong enough to put up this kind of fight. Taking down adepts was supposed to be hard, almost impossible, but definitely not like this. And now, two of the assassins were already dead. The assassin kept a calm face, but inside, fear crept in. Failure was not an option, and he knew he would be punished."You’re m
Bjorn’s movements were swift and silent as he ran, his heart beating rapidly, with an unconscious Bloodblade slung over his shoulder, he had his shadows scouting ahead and making sure they encountered no threat as it’d be dangerous to come across any beast in their current situation.The night buzzed with the roars and howl of the beasts prowling the jungle, their cries echoing through the forest, the twisted giant branches of the trees casting deep and ancient shadows on the jungle floor. The jungle was thick, the tall vegetation clutching his body like phantom hands, the heavy rain soaked the trees and filled the air with the rich scent of wet earth, leaves and wood. Thunder rumbled overhead, shaking the ground, while flashes of lightning illuminated the sky and made the shadows appear more eerie.The creepy shadow suddenly informed Bjorn of a dark panther lying in ambush ahead. “Damnation, this is getting more dangerous.” Bjorn thought as he slowed down and changed directions, gi
"I can sense two snakes a hundred meters to our right," Bloodblade whispered to Bjorn beside him."One is coming up quickly behind us, and my shadow spots an adept-ranked one in the distance ahead," Bjorn replied as they hid on top of a huge tree with their invisible robe activated, hiding from the snake directly beneath them.The boys had come to discover that it's not so easy to get out of the Hollow Gloom Grove, as it is infested with thousands of snake-type beasts. The only reason Bjorn managed to survive the previous night was because it was a stormy night and most of the snakes had burrowed under the earth with their ability to manipulate the earth."Let's move," Bjorn said as he hurriedly followed the most optimistic path that his shadow mapped out for him.They moved steadily and stealthily, climbing the colossal trees sometimes and hiding under the roots at other times. On some occasions, they also encountered smaller, weaker snakes hiding from the stronger ones.Bjorn and Bl
"You really do want to get us killed," Bjorn said with a sigh. He could see the crazy look in Bloodblade's eyes and knew nothing he said would stop Bloodblade from going after that fruit."I don’t see any way to get to that tree without going through the battlefield; that will be extremely dangerous." Bjorn massaged his temple."We have to get it, Wildheart. It will also be beneficial to us since we can use it to stabilize our cores if we force a breakthrough with those essence pills," Bloodblade urged him."This is madness. You are lucky that I am mad," Bjorn said as he grinned madly. "Let’s steal from some masters."Bloodblade returned the grin, and they got down to plotting their move. They studied the chaotic battlefield. After an hour of observation and planning, they were finally ready and set off to rob the beasts of their treasure.Bjorn and Bloodblade silently crept towards the battlefield of the adept and novice-ranked beasts. The battlefield was chaotic, the wolves clawing
It’s been five days since Bjorn started training his new, unexpected students. He had a little difficulty passing on the absorption technique to the warriors, but once they understood it, their growth and progress were exponential.The quality and quantity of beasts' corpses available made it possible for everyone to train nonstop for days, and Bjorn made sure that the supply of beast meat never ran dry.With his shadows scouting the perimeter, he spotted any beast long before it arrived at the settlement and swiftly dispatched the powerful ones while directing some warriors to deal with the weaker beasts. But lately, the number of beasts coming their way had been gradually increasing, and Bjorn had already noticed that trend.“You need to move your community,” Bjorn said as he stood before a meditating Chief Martel, who had already achieved a body breakthrough to the adept level after absorbing numerous adept-level resources.The chief looked to have aged backward, with the wrinkles
The old mage who introduced himself as Chief Martel led Bjorn towards their camp with a small entourage of warriors, the rest of the warriors stayed back to loot the battlefield and take of their dead.They led Bjorn past a small wall that barely reached his chest and into their settlement made of a sea of tents, the tents are made of thick cloth, flapping gently in the warm breeze. The tents staked into the ground are arranged in a circular way, and they get larger the closer they get to the center.Bjorn noticed the nervous running around of the locals to get things back in order; he also noticed their looks of appreciation and admiration since word has gone around of his help in defeating the beasts that would have definitely killed most of them.As they got closer to the center of the settlement, the environment turned greener and Bjorn caught the sweet scent of water in the air; he saw the large tents in the middle of the camp go round an oasis, a shimmering pool of water surroun
After days of relentless training, Bjorn was finally ready to continue his journey. He felt on the cusp of a physical breakthrough, but his instincts warned him to hold back."I just need to focus on my essence training now," he thought as he donned black garb from his space ring. "But first, I need to get out of here," he mused, hearing the sounds of roaring and fighting in the distance.The region had transformed into a striking scene. The once fiery rivers of molten lava had hardened into dark, jagged rock, sprawling like a frozen wave across the barren land. The surface was cracked and rough, with some areas appearing smooth and glassy, as if the ground had been glazed. The desert sand, once soft and golden, now mingled with the blackened rock, creating a stark contrast. Wisps of steam still rose from small fissures here and there.Due to the still-erupting volcanoes and the region's new appearance, lava beasts had invaded the area, disrupting the ecosystem. This could not be tole
Lying naked on the hot ground, Bjorn heaved a sigh of relief. It had been a crazy week— from the assassination attempt and robbing master-ranked beasts to surviving the chase of one and ending up in his current situation. He was tired and needed some rest, but he couldn’t afford to yet.Bjorn lay with smooth, flawless skin, untouched by any burn marks despite his fiery ordeal. The fire had scorched away every hair on his body, leaving him completely hairless. His smooth skin gleamed in the light, unblemished and soft, with no eyebrows or eyelashes remaining. He looked strikingly different, with his bare, smooth skin.With a groan, Bjorn sat up and took in his surroundings. The lava had carried him a long distance into an unknown region. Looking around, he found himself in a desert, but it looked nothing like a desert anymore. A large river of lava flowed through the sands, with smaller streams diverging from the main river. The hot, glowing lava lit up the surroundings, making the san
Pain, pure unrestrained pain, was the only thing Bjorn could feel as he sank to the bottom of the lava. He felt as though he was being swallowed by an ocean of fire. His skin sizzled and burned, and the pain was beyond anything he had ever felt.Every nerve in his body screamed in agony. His bones were already shattered from the impact of the molten rock. It was as if his entire body was being crushed and melted at the same time. He couldn’t move. His limbs refused to obey him. His vision blurred. He tried to scream but only managed to swallow more lava and gurgled up blood that burned immediately. It was as if the world had been reduced to an endless sea of pain and fire.“Damn it, everything hurts!” That was the first thought that entered his mind. His mind was a storm of suffering, flickering between consciousness and darkness as the lava continued its merciless assault. Time seemed to stretch on forever, each second an eternity of suffering and pain. Bjorn could have easily given
The ground shook violently beneath Bjorn and Bloodblade's feet as they raced across the volcanic land. Just as they thought they had gained some distance from the monstrous snake, the earth rumbled again, more fiercely than before. Another fissure cracked open in front of them, spewing bright orange lava and flames into the air.They skidded to a stop, barely avoiding the molten rock that bubbled up from the new fissure. The ground beneath them trembled continuously, making it difficult to maintain their balance. It was as if the entire landscape was alive, groaning and shifting with the immense power beneath its surface.Around them, they could hear the terrified cries of different beasts. Not only that, but they could also see some of the beasts running towards their direction, heading towards the grove they had just run out from.Various species that would never tolerate each other's presence on a normal day were now running side by side, their fear of the volcanic eruption suppres
Bjorn and Bloodblade stood before the massive tree, its trunk so large it needed fifteen arms to go around it. The tree was so large and tall that they appeared like ants standing before it. Standing this close to the tree, they could feel the welcoming, soothing warmth emitted from the fruits hanging from the branches.Bjorn could feel his devouring core stir, showing just how wonderful and valuable the fruits of the golden sage tree were.“Let's hurry up and get out of here before we are discovered,” Bjorn urged Bloodblade.With a powerful jump, they leapt onto the lower branches of the tree and moved in different directions. Bjorn jumped higher and to the left, while Bloodblade jumped towards the right side. They moved this way because the fruits were located far apart, and moving like this was the most optimal way to get all the fruits.It took about three minutes of jumping and climbing before Bjorn arrived in front of one of the fruits. The fruit seemed to carry the sun as it re
"You really do want to get us killed," Bjorn said with a sigh. He could see the crazy look in Bloodblade's eyes and knew nothing he said would stop Bloodblade from going after that fruit."I don’t see any way to get to that tree without going through the battlefield; that will be extremely dangerous." Bjorn massaged his temple."We have to get it, Wildheart. It will also be beneficial to us since we can use it to stabilize our cores if we force a breakthrough with those essence pills," Bloodblade urged him."This is madness. You are lucky that I am mad," Bjorn said as he grinned madly. "Let’s steal from some masters."Bloodblade returned the grin, and they got down to plotting their move. They studied the chaotic battlefield. After an hour of observation and planning, they were finally ready and set off to rob the beasts of their treasure.Bjorn and Bloodblade silently crept towards the battlefield of the adept and novice-ranked beasts. The battlefield was chaotic, the wolves clawing
"I can sense two snakes a hundred meters to our right," Bloodblade whispered to Bjorn beside him."One is coming up quickly behind us, and my shadow spots an adept-ranked one in the distance ahead," Bjorn replied as they hid on top of a huge tree with their invisible robe activated, hiding from the snake directly beneath them.The boys had come to discover that it's not so easy to get out of the Hollow Gloom Grove, as it is infested with thousands of snake-type beasts. The only reason Bjorn managed to survive the previous night was because it was a stormy night and most of the snakes had burrowed under the earth with their ability to manipulate the earth."Let's move," Bjorn said as he hurriedly followed the most optimistic path that his shadow mapped out for him.They moved steadily and stealthily, climbing the colossal trees sometimes and hiding under the roots at other times. On some occasions, they also encountered smaller, weaker snakes hiding from the stronger ones.Bjorn and Bl