El's ambitions were disarmingly straightforward, yet fitting for a madman; after all, he was pursuing a scheme that no rational person would ever contemplate. He categorized his plans into what he referred to as "sets," and there were three distinct "sets" in total.
The initial 'set' encompassed all the intricate steps of his approach: obtaining the deadly flower, clearing the area of these perilous plants to draw the beast in, and finally luring it into a cave where he could face it in a more confined space, with the aim of poisoning the creature to eliminate its menace. Yet he understood that leaving its fate to mere chance was unwise. Thus, he set about crafting rudimentary wooden weapons dusted with the deadly flower's powder. Of course,he also devised plans for unexpected twists, should the situation veer off-course.
and he had completed the first set entirely while still engulfed in his madness, caught up in a world of illusions.
The second 'set' required him to gather and create the necessary items;
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shortly after arriving, he began uprooting the flowers. Some of their pollens attempted to invade his being, seeking to drain his essence, but his energy burned them away before they could approach. Although his healing essence was dangerously low, it was still effective. He uprooted 90% of the deadly flowers to avoid alerting the creature to his actions, tearing a sleeve from his shirt to bundle the flora. Now left with a tattered garment, he pressed on, taking the wrapped blossoms back to his cave without delay. He set to work grinding them into dust using a fine stone in a corner of the cave. After two and a half hours, he finally finished pulverizing the last flower. Still utilizing the torn sleeve, he tied up the purple flower powder but remained seated for several minutes, utterly drained. His strength had waned to a mere shadow of a peak human, hindered by the binding seal; fatigue overcame him quickly, and even his 'king's eye' couldn't summon the energy he needed to bolster his physical traits. He paused to rest, cherishing the brief sensation of recovery. "Ah~" he sighed, deeply familiar with the truth behind the adage, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone." Now, he truly understood its weight.
With the killer flower dust prepared, he faced the challenge of creating weapons. However, the only materials around were trees, and he doubted that a wooden weapon would penetrate the monster's hide. Yet, perhaps its eyes were another matter. With no better option, he approached a nearby tree, climbed it, and snapped off a long, pointed branch. Lacking a sharpening tool, he had to rely on the same rocks to refine it into a spear for ranged combat. With that, he completed the second set, transitioning into the third— the execution of all his preparations.
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El strolled through the dense forest with an air of purposeful nonchalance, having spent an entire day recuperating from the previous day's exertions. He sought to avoid any complications that could jeopardize his plans, mindful that things could go awry if he let his guard down. Even now, he remained clad in his ragged attire, devoid of a fresh set of clothes, which would lead anyone who glanced at him to perceive him as a frail, homeless individual.
Despite this appearance, he was anything but weak. Though he termed it "rest," he hadn't truly been idle; in fact, he had taken advantage of the time to enhance his control over essence, achieving a notable 2% increase in efficiency. While that might seem minor, it brought his total efficiency to 22%, placing his control at a level comparable to that of a talented Neophyte rank ascender—beings who had embarked on their journey toward ascension and could reach a maximum efficiency of 30% only under extreme circumstances.
Thanks to his unique ability, he was expected to have an edge over an ascender. However, he faced certain conditions and limitations in mastering essence, such as possessing personal reserves, which he lacked, having to rely on a borrowed and temporary source instead. Another was to have a substantial amount of essence energy to gain a deeper understanding–the more essence one has,the deeper one's understanding can get, but his ocular ability adeptly bypassed that requirement.
Lastly, controlling one's Will was another obstacle; he couldn't sense his own Will, let alone control it. Nevertheless, his current level of control, while not stellar, surpassed that of anyone else in the trial or at his rank. If he could meet the first condition, pass the trial, and take that critical first step, he anticipated profound changes—a development beyond his speculations.
But he did not know all this,he only knew how difficult it was to deepen his own understanding of the energy as this was the first time using essence unlike mana which has been with him since birth.
Despite this modest boost in efficiency and control it was still good reducing his essence consumption rate, all he hoped for was that it would be enough to navigate this daunting endeavor. Falling short would not spell disaster, but it could certainly complicate matters—nothing catastrophic, just an annoyance.
As he continued his trek, sudden sounds of ferocious roars and crashing trees drew his attention. Focusing intently, he discerned that a chaotic three-way battle was unfolding nearby, one of the creatures engaged in combat exuding the same menacing aura as the shadow monster he had been seeking in this accursed forest. A manic smile tugged at his lips as a thrill coursed through him—he had to kill it; it was imperative that he do so with his own hands.
Scaling a nearby tree, El utilized its branches to navigate toward the scene of the fray. The proximity of the branches made it easy for him to travel, and he settled onto one that offered a vantage point to observe the conflict without becoming part of it.
The spectacle before him revealed the shadow monster holding its ground against two formidable creatures, seemingly jackal-like in shape but strikingly larger and darker, akin to lions. "But jackals are typically scavengers," he mused, studying the unfolding battle. Given their performance, it was evident that these creatures were not mere scavengers; they bore a resemblance to those from Troy[1] yet exhibited fundamental differences in build and strength. Still, they were clearly losing to the shadow monster, and by no small margin.
They were making attempts to flank the
shadow creature while it skillfully kept them at bay with its elongated limbs,At times, the shadowy creature struck with its long limbs, delivering heavy blows that caused its foes to wince in agony. This relentless assault soon morphed from what resembled a test of endurance into a fierce physical onslaught, devoid of mercy. The shadow monster continued its brutality, and soon, one of the jackal-like beings collapsed lifelessly to the ground. Rather than seeking an escape, the second jackal lunged at the shadow creature with a diminished ferocity, sealing its own fate.
El observed the chaotic scene, pondering whether to wait or provoke the creature even further to entice it into a chase. But how? His gaze drifted upwards and caught sight of a slender, pointed branch, a glimmer of madness flaring in his eyes as he grasped it and hoisted it like a spear. He focused on the enraged beast, which was still pummeling the jackal, oblivious to the impending threat. With a slight lean back, he hurled the branch, just as the shadow monster lifted the lifeless jackal, intending to slam it down. The branch found a mark, piercing the jackal's wide eyes before it could reach the monster.
A profound silence enveloped the scene.
The shadow creature released its grip on the dead jackal, shock etched on its features—it realized that it hadn't delivered the fatal blow.
El, equally stunned, hadn't aimed at the jackal, yet a dispassionate voice echoed in his mind:
[You have killed a Dread monster.]
The realization struck him; he had indeed slain it... with a mere stick. Despite feeling physically inferior to these beasts, he possessed strength above that of an average human, though still far from peak condition of humans. The improbability of dispatching such a creature with a simple stick left him astonished, even if it was weakened. But none of that mattered now; the shadow creature, searching for the one who had provoked it, had locked its gaze on El, concealed among the trees, and he understood he had to flee. He had achieved his goal and then more, but this was merely the beginning, and he braced for the challenges that lay ahead.
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[1] TROY is the name of the planet the cohort come from.