Chapter 11: Out of the cave

"Well, this is an unusual goblin!" Raum exclaimed as he gazed at the goblin lying motionless on the ground. Aron had suddenly appeared out of thin air behind the goblin, and with a single fluid motion, he snapped the goblin's neck with ease.

What struck Raum as strange was that the goblin wielded a spear. Yes, a small one, but goblins usually preferred knives and clubs, and they surely never put anything above their heads.

"Strange or not, a core is inside him, and I want it," Aron declared.

He cared little for the goblin's fate, focusing solely on obtaining the core. Right now, all he wanted was to get out of this cave, grow stronger as quickly as possible, uncover leads about his race, and find a way to recover his memory.

Removing the core from the strange goblin and from the other one, which he found to be already dead, Aron stood up and turned to Raum.

"Let's get the hell out of here. I can't stand another minute in this place."

…

After a few hours, they reached the mouth of the cave, finally catching sight of sunlight. Stepping out, the brilliance temporarily blinded them, having spent so long in the cave's darkness.

Soon enough, Aron's vision adjusted, and he marveled at the sight before him. Towering green trees reached for the sky, their branches thick and sturdy. Leaves larger than a grown man adorned some trees, while strange and curious plants grew abundantly, lending the place a vibrant and lively ambiance.

And not forgetting the air, as Aron took a deep breath, the fresh air filled his lungs, momentarily causing him to cough. It was as if the air itself was cleansing away the dust and grime. Aron and Raum both enjoyed the warm sunlight and the refreshing air, looking at a lovely green forest beating with life.

"Ahhhhh... free at last! I missed the sun and the fresh air!" Raum exclaimed, voicing his thoughts aloud. One couldn't blame the poor raven; he had been stuck in the cave for days. Aron smiled and patted the raven's head, enjoying the serene view and the brief respite before an unpleasant smell invaded his senses.

Sniff. Sniff.

Sniffing the air, he realized the stench was coming from himself, the scent of blood lingering on his body. Now that the air around him is clean

"I need to wash this blood off, Raum. Is there a nearby lake or river?" Aron inquired.

"Mmm... maybe. I can go take a look if you want."

"Alright, I'll stay here and explore for a bit. Be careful," Aron cautioned.

Raum felt a warm feeling inside him upon hearing those words. It was the first time someone had expressed concern for him. Nodding, he swiftly took flight, soaring through the sky.

Aron watched the little raven fly and couldn't help but smile. He suspected that Raum had rarely interacted with others, but he decided not to bring it up. He didn't want to hurt the raven's feelings.

Stretching his body, Aron's bones cracked as he reveled in the beauty of nature. However, as he had anticipated, nothing lasts forever. To his right, beyond the bushes, he heard the growl of something menacing.

"...Grrrrr"

Aron pretended to ignore it, standing his ground. Moments passed, yet nothing happened.

Through his heightened senses, Aron sensed that the creature wanted to pounce on him but was waiting for the perfect opportunity. The creature remained hidden in the darkness, unaware that its prey could sense its presence, which is impossible for a human, but Aron is not a human. He's a dragon, and a dragon's eyes and ears are above what a mere human has, even if Aron hadn't fully realized his abilities.

To draw the creature out, Aron deliberately turned his back, feigning vulnerability

'Come on, an easy prey is in front of you, just take the bait"

The creature, seeing an opening, leaped from the bush, aiming for Aron's neck. But before it could sink its fangs into its prey, Aron swiftly turned around, delivering a powerful blow with his elbow. The creature was thrown to the side, revealing itself to Aron.

"Oh! A gray wolf, want a piece of me?...Huh? Wait! That's not how a wolf normally hunts," Aron murmured, narrowing his eyes as he examined the wolf.

He soon found the answer. It had a missing ear, a broken fang, and claw marks all over its body. Aron could clearly see that the wolf was starving.

"A lone wolf, and with a broken fang, it can't hunt effectively," Aron deduced with a sigh.

Aron tightened his grip on the greatsword, releasing the leather belts and dropping the greataxe and bag to the ground.

"Now, let's put this big boy to the test."

Holding the greatsword with both hands, he charged towards the wolf. However, Aron's speed proved to be just slightly above average, and his strike aimed for the wolf's head missed as the creature easily dodged it, leaping to the side. Aron's swing landed on the ground with tremendous force, burying the sword halfway into the earth.

"W-What!?.."

Surprised by his own speed and the weight of the greatsword, Aron found himself slower due to the armor he wore. What astonished him even more was that the greatsword survived the solid ground, and he even pierced it.

Aron attempted to pull his weapon from the earth, but the greatsword stubbornly remained stuck.

"Come on!, you little shii—"

He tried to put more strength into it; however, he stopped when he felt a surge of danger from his side. Turning instinctively, he found himself face to face with a set of claws, sharp teeth, and a broken fang. In the blink of an eye, the wolf had closed the distance undetected.

"GRRRA!!"

Time seemed to freeze for Aron as he stared at the beast's jaws, mere inches from his face. Fearless, he felt no urge to flee or avoid the impending attack. For Aron, the thrill of battle was his greatest joy. In that fleeting moment, his smile widened, revealing all of his teeth, and his eyes flickered with a crimson flame.

He kept staring at the wolf's jaw, focusing on the darkness inside him. Suddenly, a spark of light emerged, growing rapidly and changing to a deep red hue before...

BOOOM!

The spark exploded inside the wolf's mouth, obliterating its jaw and sending the creature flying through the air, slamming it against a nearby tree.

The wolf managed to survive, desperately holding on to its life. Blood dripping from its mouth or from what was left of it. With a missing jaw and eye and internal wounds, the wolf struggled to stand.

But before it could, a shadow loomed over it. When it looked up, it saw an immense black sword descending upon its neck. The last things the wolf saw were two crimson eyes and a predatory smile.

[You have killed: Gray Wolf]

[+50 XP]

"... Phew... that took care of him... he was quite the slippery beast," Aron remarked.

After the explosion, Aron managed to retrieve the greatsword from the ground. Approaching the injured wolf, he put an end to its suffering.

"Sorry, buddy. No hard feelings, either me or you" he murmured

As a lone wolf with a broken fang and wounds, his chance of survival is minimal. Putting him out of his suffering is the best thing, not to mention that he attacked Aron first.

"... But what was that explosion?" Aron wondered aloud.

Unbeknownst to him, he had unconsciously tapped into his mana and his "Fire Legacy" skill, creating a small spark that became infused with an overwhelming amount of mana until it could no longer withstand it, resulting in the subsequent explosion.

Leaning closer to the wolf's lifeless body, Aron prepared to extract its core. However, a sudden realization struck him.

"Wait! How do I know that this is a wolf, and how do I know how it normally hunts?" Aron narrowed his eyes, looking at the headless wolf, grasping his chin as his mind raced to find an answer.

"Strange? Really strange!"

Checking the system notification, he discovered that even the system identified the creature as a "Gray wolf" and not as an "Unknown creature" like it did with the goblins.

"And again, how do I even know that Raum is a raven?" Aron pondered.

"System? Do you have any idea?"

[No, Master. I think your memory has something to do with this.]

"Ughhh! Memory again!"

Feeling a headache creeping in from overthinking, Aron did the best thing he could right now.

"Screw it; I'll think about it later." He chose to completely ignore the matter for now.

"First things first, I need to find food and a place to rest."

Without wasting any more time, Aron collected the wolf's core, adding it to his collection. He secured his two weapons on his back and gazed up at the sky, his lips forming a small smile as he spotted the familiar sight of the little raven returning.

***

[A/N: I hope you guys like the story so far, and I know you're shy so don't be and leave a comment telling me your thoughts, that helps me a lot in the journey to improve, and check our discord it's still new, and have fun]