Red Eye Tiger Skill

After leaving the location where he confronted the Tier 5 lesser Mutant, Karsh journeyed for a full hour without encountering a single beast. The deeper he ventured, the darker the forest grew. Yet, he never met or sensed even one beast. Nonetheless, he persisted in his pursuit.

He never stopped to consider the possibility that he might be heading in the wrong direction. Two hours passed, yet he continued without pause, and still, he did not encounter a single beast. But throughout it all, Karsh remained focused. He had just experienced his first enlightenment. As someone who craved strength, this initial enlightenment left a deep mark on him.

Enlightenment varies for almost every technique, skill, or attainment of a new height in spirituality. It is the way one perceives the maximum potential of whatever one comprehends. So, if you are a mage practicing a technique and manage to attain enlightenment, you will be shown the true strength of the technique or skill you are learning.

In Karsh's case, he had just experienced the first form of the Tiger Strike Dual Sword Technique. The technique is unique, so for him to be the first person privileged to experience its full might, he knew he had struck gold.

During his enlightenment, he was introduced to the first form of the technique known as "Red Eye Tiger." As the name implies, this skill draws inspiration from the acute vision and agility of a tiger. Tigers, renowned for their heightened senses, serve as the foundation for the Tiger Strike Dual Sword Technique's initial form, demanding that the wielder hone both their senses and agility. However, Karsha sensed there was more to this skill and was eager to unlock its full potential.

The essence of this ability lies in harnessing the speed, strength, and intelligence of a tiger to outmaneuver opponents within a controlled setting. Mastery of the technique demands exceptional agility and acute senses.

During his enlightenment, he observed a clone of himself employing the skill within what appeared to be a controlled environment. In this heightened state of awareness, he discerned various techniques merging to create something entirely new, a feat Karsha aspired to achieve himself.

With speed amplified fivefold, the wielder gains the capacity to dispatch adversaries of higher stages swiftly. However, success hinges upon the individual's proficiency with the sword. While the skill enhances speed, it is the wielder's swordsmanship that ultimately determines victory in combat.

Fortunately for Karsha, the system had already tailored a perfect technique for him. The basic sword movements he had been practicing in the slave mine were, in fact, preparation for the [Red Eye Tiger]. This skill imposed no extraordinary requirements; it evaluated one's strength and agility before applying amplification.

At present, Karsha only had access to a two-fold amplification. Yet, upon emerging from enlightenment, he felt more attuned, indicating he needed to delve further to explore his newfound heightened abilities without delay.

Four hours later, Karsha halted, opting to rest briefly before continuing his journey. He retrieved some dried bread from the stash he had pilfered from the slave mine's leader and began to munch on it. After thirty minutes, he rose, visibly rejuvenated. From his inventory, he produced a small orb and pressed it, causing it to emit a brief glow before levitating.

This orb was the hidden reward he had earned after completing the quest to escape the mine, known as [Seeker]. Its primary function was to detect objects such as humans, monsters, treasure, and more within a one-mile radius of its owner. Karsha recognized that without guidance, he risked aimless wandering, potentially leading to getting lost—a situation akin to another prison from which he would struggle to break free.

He then commenced following the orb, and after traversing for 20 minutes, Karsha encountered his first monster. Thanks to his newfound heightened senses, he immediately discerned the monster's strength, leading him to conclude that it was considerably weaker than the one he had battled days before.

He halted, locking eyes with the monster, which returned his gaze. Without exchanging a single word, the two lunged towards each other.

"Tsk, too slow," Karsha remarked, observing the beast's movements almost in slow motion. His Red Tiger Eye remained dormant, as his own speed and instincts sufficed. After dispatching the beast, he kept its body and resumed following the orb.

Within an hour, he dispatched twenty beasts effortlessly. While the exercise was beneficial, he couldn't help but yearn for a more formidable opponent. Venturing deeper into the forest primarily to test the effectiveness of his Red Eye Tiger skill, he found the necessary conditions to activate it had yet to manifest.

All he encountered were mere cannon fodder. Nevertheless, he noticed something peculiar. The Red Eye Tiger skill seemed to activate only when faced with opponents possessing greater speed than his own. This was merely conjecture for now.

The skill might have already been activated, unbeknownst to him. Regardless, he pressed on, realizing he had nowhere else to be; lost in the woods, he drew comfort from his experience as a soldier who had spent countless hours on stakeouts.

He spent another five hours dispatching weak monsters, despite his desire for more challenging foes. Soon, nightfall descended, prompting Karsha, drawing from his experience as a soldier in his previous life, to climb a tree and settle in for rest.

Perched in the tree, he deemed it safer than remaining on the ground, particularly in unfamiliar territory where dangers lurked. Less than a minute later, Karsha succumbed to sleep; however, as he drifted into slumber, the same old woman materialized once more.

Standing 300 meters away from Karsha's location, she kept a watchful eye on him. "You possess his aura and determination; I sincerely hope you won't disappoint me. There is only one chance remaining, and if squandered, the world as we know it will cease to exist," the Old Woman sighed. She continued to observe Karsha, who was deep in sleep. The desperation in her eyes was evident, yet she refrained from approaching him.

"I will monitor you for a few days; if I perceive this as a futile endeavor, I will simply choose the young lady and hope for the best," she remarked before vanishing, reappearing ten miles away. With a flick of her hand, two three-meter-tall monsters emerged and began to make their way toward Karsha's location.

==================

"Tsk, as feeble as the others," Karsha muttered as he drove his sword into the gut of a three-meter-tall lion. Having awoken merely an hour prior, he found himself confronted by two beasts stronger than those he had dispatched hours earlier. Despite being asleep, his senses had alerted him to their presence when they drew within 200 meters.

This prompted him to wake up only for him to find the beasts no more formidable than the cannon fodders he had encountered previously. "I suppose I'll have to continue following the orb; I've got nowhere else to be, and gathering experience and stat points from slaying beasts seems like a sound plan," he mused.

"Seventy beasts down, yet none have presented a challenge. How tedious," Karsha remarked, perhaps prematurely. Suddenly, emerging from twenty meters away, was a twelve-meter-long snake with a diameter of four feet. It advanced toward Karsha, who stood firm, gripping both swords tightly.

"This one appears more formidable than the rest," Karsha thought to himself, a small smile escaping his lips. "Finally, a worthy opponent," he added, preparing to engage. However, before he could make a move, a system message appeared before his eyes.

< Red Eye Tiger Skill Activated >

< The skill will need 3 minutes to be fully registered by the system >

Note: Don't let the poison touch your skin since it is radioactive. Try not to die for the next 3 minutes.

"I knew it," Karsha exclaimed aloud as he read the message. However, his sudden outburst triggered the snake to spit out greenish fluid, hurtling toward Karsha's face at a rapid pace. Fortunately, forewarned by the system, he somersaulted, narrowly evading the poison by a hair's breadth.

Bullets of radioactive poison continued to assail him, but with his agility and flexibility, he effortlessly evaded each one. He moved with grace, showing no signs of being cornered; instead, he relished the challenge. Three minutes later, a new message materialized before him.

< Red Eye Tiger Skill active >

< The host can now use the first form of the 'Tiger Strike Dual Sword Technique.' >

"Red Eye Tiger," Karsha said as he dashed at the snake.

"Slash, Slash." The sounds of two slashes reverberated as the snake's head tumbled to the ground. "What was that?" Karsha exclaimed in astonishment. He couldn't fathom what had just transpired.

First, he had activated a skill while in motion; the next moment, he found himself standing before the snake. He couldn't comprehend how he had gotten there, as it all unfolded within a fraction of a second. It happened too swiftly for even his keen senses to perceive. All he witnessed was the gradual descent of the snake's head, while the surrounding environment appeared to slow down for a brief moment.

It was a surreal experience. Without hesitation, he decided to replicate it, but just as he prepared to move, a greenish orb shot forth from the snake and entered his forehead.

Ding

< Green Viper Venom Extracted >

< This Venom will be absorbed when the system is done upgrading to Version 2.0 >

< System cannot absorb any more venom until it finished upgrading>

Time Remaining: 55 days