Capture

Fuck my pride.

Shit, shit, shit! That was definitely a red core mana beast and it most definitely noticed my dumbass. Ugh, just a week ago I was thinking about how I would never encounter another one of these and here I am. I ran with all my might through the forest in the opposite direction of where I had seen that foul beast. It was far bigger than the beasts I hunt normally and I knew my body could not contest with it.

The beasts I had encountered in my previous trials had nothing in comparison to this crazy bastard. It was monstrous, bigger than any other of its kind in my previous world, it was a coyote. This coyote was nothing like the weakling that I had met on my first day in this world, it was as big as a bear from my previous world. Black core mana beasts were comparable to animals with a solid strength boost. To combat them, I used the surprising strength of my body, and the wit endowed to me by my human mind. With red core mana beasts, there was a qualitative change in strength.

They could use magic.

The hairs on the back of my neck raised as all my instincts told me to move my head out of the way. I didn't know why my body reacted in this manner but I knew from experience that the smart idea would be to follow my instincts.

I'm not smart though.

I needed to do something insane if I wanted to win, and this was just the opportunity. If I felt danger from behind me there were two things that could be there. One, the mouth of that massive mana beast and two, a spell. If it was the mouth of the beast then I could attempt to make an injury to scare it off and then run away. If it was a spell then I was dead if I didn't move. That was the gamble, if it was a spell I would die, if it was the beast I would live.

I spun around and used all my experience gained through these two years to slash at whatever was there with my machete. My lessons from Andreas flashed through my mind as I moved my whole body through the movement in support of my arm. My eyes locked onto whatever was behind me in order to adjust my swing to hit it.

It was a spell.

A lance of earth had been fired from the mouth of the brown coyote. Fuck. I could survive, I needed to redirect the lance and I would live. I carried on with my slash towards the earthen lance but I changed my grip on my machete in order to hit the lance with the blunt wide side of the machete. I would smash this motherfucking lance like a baseball and then live to kill this damned coyote.

As the machete smacked into the spell, I felt the machete creak and barely hold together as it smacked the spell firmly away from my direction. I stopped in my tracks and I stared in the direction of the mana beast. I channeled all of my pride and arrogance, standing with such prose as confidence that I may be mistaken for a young master. My glare would have already killed the beast if that were possible, yet sadly it wasn't. This was my last shot. Bluffing.

It may not be the most fanciful technique but it sure as hell required some sort of skill to glare down a beast that could kill you easily and was at least ten times your weight. The beast returned my glare for a moment, and swiftly ran away.

Was I that scary?

Probably not, was my conclusion. The beast had chased me because it thought of me as easy prey, not a good meal. I was a young child, strong, but still a child, and there was not much meat on my bones to feed that massive beast. It wouldn't want to risk injury against me when there was nothing to gain from the fight. Whatever the case, I was grateful that my plan had worked, because I sure as hell would have died if I had fought that crazy fucking monstrosity.

I ran with abandon through the rest of the forest, I needed to get back to the city and recover. My stamina was at a low after having to run and counter the coyote and I needed to get back before I encountered another beast. It would be tiring but the safest option would be to get out of this forest fast and into the safety of the city where I could relax.

I made it to the gates in record time and felt at ease, I said hello to the young guard who always worried for my health and well being and moved into the city. I waved through the complicated streets of Xinia and found myself walking through a narrow alley relatively near to my home.

Danger.

Even more than what I had felt in the fight against the coyote and it yet again seemed to be aimed at the back of my neck based on my intuition. I leapt forwards out of the way of the danger as quickly as I could. In the city, it was more likely for this to be either an enhancer or a non-mage, so I wasn't too worried about a spell and simply got out of the way. I felt a whooshing sound behind me and spun around to prepare a counter attack. In front of my eyes was a middle aged man carrying a long sword, a long sword that was clearly enhanced by a hue of visible mana.

Fuck.

In all the danger of the forest, I forgot the greatest danger.

Humans.

They were the ones who attacked me when I entered this world and it appeared they would make it happen yet again. The man had a surprised expression on his face, I suppose he thought that slash would kill me.

"You can still move like that after hunting all day? Wow, kid, you're impressive. Not enough though."

He raised his long sword and swung it down in a basic downward slash. There was no dramatic technique or skill, it was simply raw speed. I moved my machete in the way and attempted to redirect the blade, but my machete, already being damaged from earlier, broke. It had done its job and redirected the sword, but I was dead without a weapon.

"Hm? You blocked that one too? You're one impressive kid, and now that I look at you, you're rather familiar too. Ah, if it isn't the thief that our local fire conjurer used to love punishing. Hell, how about I bring you to him for old times sake."

These not so comforting words were the last thing I heard before I felt a fist hit my jaw and I blacked out.