The other two lizards froze the moment they saw their friend's death. Their brains couldn't process the fact that their prey had suddenly turned into the predator.
Aren didn't give them a chance to think.
He planted his feet firmly on the ground. He put all his strength into his legs and launched himself forward like a bullet. The ten-meter distance between them dropped to zero in an instant.
The second lizard tried to swing its tail in a panic.
Its tail was as thick as a mace and its tips were spiked.
Aren didn't try to stop the incoming tail. He swung his sword vertically from top to bottom.
The tail was severed. The sword didn't stop; it split the lizard's skull in two and went down to its jaw.
Experience gained.
The third lizard attempted to flee. It dug its claws into a tree and began to climb.
"You can't escape."
Aren bent his knees slightly. The ground collapsed beneath his feet. He shot upwards like a cannonball.
With a gravity-defying speed, he reached the level of the lizard climbing the tree. In that split second he hung in the air, the black sword drew a silvery arc.
The sword entered the lizard's back and came out of its chest, nailing the creature right where it was to the trunk of the tree.
Experience gained.
Aren forcefully pulled his sword out and landed softly on the ground, on his feet like a cat. The lizard's lifeless body fell to the base of the tree like a sack of potatoes.
Five seconds. It had taken him only Five seconds to kill three creatures. Aren let out a deep breath. He flicked the ember-like blood off his sword.
"Why didn't I level up?" Aren asked.
Seraphina's mocking voice echoed in his mind.
"Your level increased suddenly while you were in the dungeon because you consumed the 'special' resources the system offered you. Also, as your level increases, the experience you get from low-level creatures decreases."
Seraphina added, "But still, it's better than nothing."
Aren looked at the lizard corpses on the ground. "I understand."
Aren flicked the blood off his sword and continued on his way.
As he advanced deeper into the forest, he asked Seraphina a question that came to his mind.
"Seraphina, thanks to the 'Divine Phoenix Mantra', I learned to absorb mana and channel it inside my body. However, I still don't know how to use mana to attack or defend."
Seraphina's serious voice appeared in his mind. "That's natural. After all, you haven't learned all of the 'Divine Phoenix Mantra'. You've only learned the beginning of the beginning."
"Then what will I do until then?" asked Aren. "Will I just swing my sword and rely on my physical strength? What if I face something that physical attacks won't work on?"
Seraphina sighed slightly. "I can't teach you a 'real' technique for now. While you are in the tutorial, this would bring you more harm than good. But this doesn't mean you can't use your mana in a primitive way."
"What do you mean?"
"Focus and do what I say." Seraphina instructed.
"Draw the mana out of your Mana Pool and spread it throughout your entire body via your meridians. Since you've already learned Basic Vision, you should be able to do this easily too."
Mana was released as if the floodgates of a dam had been opened. First it spread to his chest, then to his arms and legs.
His body felt lighter. His muscles filled with power. His senses sharpened.
A screen appeared in front of him.
NEW SKILL ACQUIRED!
Mana Reinforcement (Active): The most inefficient technique that allows you to reinforce your body or an object using your mana.
"Good." said Seraphina. "Now, using the same logic, focus the mana into the hand holding the sword. Imagine that your sword is an extension of your arm, that your veins extend right into the metal."
Aren focused. He pulled the mana he had spread through his body into his right arm. He pushed the mana from his fingertips towards the hilt of the sword.
Normally, reinforcing an inanimate object is harder than reinforcing your body.
However, the black sword in Aren's hand was a sword Aunger had used in his youth. The material it was made of naturally conducted mana.
The moment the mana met the metal, the sword trembled like a thirsty monster. It greedily absorbed Aren's golden mana.
On the pitch-black sword, thin, golden-colored veins appeared from the hilt to the tip. The sword's matte black surface was suddenly covered by a faint, golden halo of flames.
The air around the sword was rippling from the heat.
"It worked." said Aren.
"Don't get excited." Seraphina said, interrupting Aren's intoxication of victory.
"This isn't a real technique, just a crude application of raw mana. With your current reserves, you can maintain this form for three minutes at most."
"Three minutes... Enough for a quick fight."
Aren continued walking. As he advanced through the forest, going deeper, the temperature increased.
"Go right." Seraphina said suddenly. "A strong one. And exactly what you're looking for."
Aren stopped. He activated his 'Basic Vision' skill. That golden gleam appeared in his eyes.
About fifty meters ahead, he saw a flame lying behind a massive piece of rock. It was almost on an equal level with Aren.
He approached silently.
The entity behind the rock was a bear. But it was at least twice as large as the bears on Earth.
Its body fur was crimson in color. The veins visible beneath its crimson fur glowed and faded in tandem with the bear's breathing.
Its claws were as black as obsidian and as sharp as a razor.
The moment the bear caught Aren's scent, it pricked up its ears and roared.
"ROAAARRRR!"
With its roar, the crimson leaves of the nearby trees fell. Despite its massive size, the bear started charging toward Aren on all fours like a tank with astonishing speed. The ground shook with every step.
Aren didn't run away.
Just as the bear was about to bring its massive claw down on Aren's head, he made a millimeter-perfect maneuver to the side. The bear's claw passed right by him and smashed into the ground, tearing the earth apart.
Aren released his mana.
The black sword was suddenly coated in a golden flame.
His target was the bear's neck. If a normal sword struck the bear's thick fur, it would break or bounce off. But Aunger's mana-reinforced sword passed through the fur like a hot knife through butter; the flesh underneath was split open. The bear bellowed in pain and stumbled backward.
"Tough." said Aren, leaping back and putting some distance between them. "I couldn't cut its neck completely."
Despite its wound, the bear was even more enraged. It opened its mouth and an orange light began to gather deep in its throat.
"It's going to breathe fire!"
Aren didn't wait for the bear's attack. He sprinted toward it. The moment the bear shot the fireball, he slid on the ground and got underneath the bear.
Aren gripped his sword with both hands. He pumped a large portion of the energy in his mana pool into the sword. The golden light on the sword reached a blinding brightness.
He thrust the sword upwards. As he dashed underneath the bear, he dragged the sword along its entire length.
The bear's belly was sliced wide open. Its internal organs and blood spilled all over Aren. With a final groan, the bear collapsed to the ground. It twitched a few times and went motionless.
Experience gained.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Level 12 > Level 13
Your stats have increased by 1 point.
Panting, Aren looked at the bear's corpse. A third of his mana pool had been depleted in that final attack.
He immediately withdrew his mana. That magnificent golden flame on the sword went out like a candle, giving way to the matte black metal.
The 'Royal Dragon Silk Robe' on him had already slowly begun to clean the blood and the nauseating pieces of internal organs clinging to its fabric.
'It seems the self-regenerating property comes along with self-cleaning.' Aren thought.
"It looks like it would be better if I kill the creatures around here and level up before going deeper."
Seraphina sounded as if confirming Aren's words.
"It's good that you were able to understand this. After your show of strength in the Safe Zone, I thought you might get drunk on power; I guess I worried for nothing. Remember, you only have one life. If you die, it's all over."
Aren closed the screen in front of him. He turned his gaze to the massive bear corpse lying on the ground.
He turned his back. He was just about to leave the area when Seraphina's voice cut him off.
"Wait. This creature's meat contains a dense amount of the fire element. If you consume it, it will accelerate the development of both your physique and your mana."
Aren, with a calm expression, said, "Is this thing even edible?"
"Yes, it is edible. Put it in your Storage Ring. You can consume it after finding a safe place." Seraphina said.
Aren nodded in agreement and said, "Should I go back and take the other corpses too?"
Seraphina said, "No. The energy contained in their meat is too weak to develop you."
After saying "I understand." Aren placed the bear's corpse as a whole into his storage ring and continued his journey from where he left off.
This time he was moving with slower and more cautious steps. The bear he had encountered was exceedingly strong. The things deeper inside must be much stronger than the bear. Therefore, Aren preferred to be careful.
Hours later.
The volcanic clouds above had thickened, plunging the forest into a dim, blood-red twilight.
Aren had found a small cave with a narrow entrance at the top of a high cliff.
The inside of the cave was narrow; its ceiling was low.
If Aren stood up, his head would almost touch the ceiling. The walls were made of rough, pitch-black basalt stones, and they were warm to the touch, as if reflecting the heat outside.
A heavy, pungent smell of sulfur and dust dominated the inside.
The floor was covered with a thin layer of volcanic ash and sharp pieces of stone. Far from comfortable, it was a temporary hole to take shelter in just to hide.
"This place is safe enough." Aren said, and sat down on the ground, on a relatively flat stone.
He reached his hand out into the empty space. The amethyst stone on his storage ring glowed faintly, and the massive bear corpse fell into the middle of the cave with a heavy thud.
The corpse covered almost half of the cave. The bear's crimson fur glowed like a smoldering ember even in the dim environment.
Aren drew the black sword from his waist.
Mana Reinforcement.
On the matte surface of the black sword, golden veins appeared. The sword was covered in a golden light. The faint hum emitting from the sword echoed in the silence of the cave.
With a surgeon's precision, Aren brought the sword close to the bear's skin. Thanks to his Advanced Sword Mastery, something like skinning was very simple.
The moment the metal touched the skin, it glided smoothly as if a hot knife had touched butter.
Using the sword masterfully, Aren separated the skin from the flesh.
The resulting sight was surprising.
Normally, when an animal was skinned, it revealed a bloody and raw meat appearance. However, the meat of this bear... was different.
The meat was dark red, and dense steam was smoking off of it. When Aren brought his hand closer to the meat, he felt the heat hitting his face.
"This..." Aren muttered. He pressed his finger onto the meat.
It was hot. It was even hot enough to burn his hand.
"I don't need to cook it." he said to himself.
Seraphina's voice echoed in his mind.
"This creature fed on the fire element throughout its life. Instead of blood, liquid fire circulated in its veins. The moment it died, the fire element in its body permeated its meat. That meat isn't 'raw' in the sense you know. It has been sealed at high heat with its own fat and energy."
Aren cut off a large, steaming piece with his sword.
The piece of meat he held in his hand was as if it had just come off a grill. The only difference was that instead of an appetizing aroma, it emitted a dense smell of sulfur and iron.
"Bon appétit, then."
Without hesitation, Aren took a large bite out of the meat.
The taste that spread in his mouth was metallic as he expected, but at the same time, it was weirdly spicy. It was as if he was eating a peppered steak, but gunpowder had been used instead of pepper. In order to chew the meat, Aren had reinforced his mouth with Mana Reinforcement.
When he swallowed the bite, he felt a hot line descending from his throat to his stomach. And when it reached his stomach, this heat spread throughout his entire body.
Aren took the second bite with more appetite.
"It doesn't taste bad."
Seraphina chuckled.
When Aren finished the huge piece, beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead. His body temperature had increased, but it wasn't uncomfortable. On the contrary, it was like a shield against the damp air of the cave.