Breakthrough 1

The days after the attack went smoothly: when I woke up I would meditate for a few hours leaving me refreshed, I would fight with Nico until my bones were bruised and my face was beaten then I would take a small rest and hunt Rank 1 beasts and absorb their cores.

I was starting to get accustomed to this new found strength and was steadily learning Moon God's Requiem. I had learnt eight sets of the sword technique in ten days and honestly, I was feeling pretty powerful.

My fights with Nico started to get longer and my sword started to fall with more precision and ferocity. I looked and felt like a real warrior.

I could also feel my qi on the verge of breakthrough. Today was the deadline of my declaration to Shiroi that I would form a Rank 1 core within ten days. I was on the precipice and it was time to level up.

"Boy, you have achieved much more than I would have hoped. Even now, I can feel your qi bursting forth, your life energy is ready to form a core and all you need is one final push. These past ten days, you have been hunting beasts that have just breached Rank 1. Still wet behind the ears. Today you will hunt a peak Rank 1 beast that is ready to evolve to Rank 2. Will you do it?"

"Master." I looked at Shiroi with a burning desire to increase my strength. "This exactly what you have been training me for. I will achieve Rank 1 today and that is a fact."

"Good. I can see your desire and your passion for strength but young Shoto, one is not truly powerful until they find the reason why they fight, why they struggle and why they increase their strength. I see your passion for glory and to increase your capacity as a warrior. But why? What are you fighting for? Learn this and one day you will truly be a formidable foe."

His words resounded in my head like a siren. 'I see your passion for glory and to increase your strength. But why?' What is my reason? Why am I fighting? To get back home? No, I'm enjoying training too much for that to be the reason. I know my body is safe. Then why? Something deep within my soul craves the battlefield, craves strong enemies to decimate and wants nothing more to be bathed in it's opponents blood. What am I fighting for? Shiroi pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Shoto, this question can not be answered in one day. You must persist until you find it. Do not fret, your day will come."

I nodded in response but the turmoil within my heart didn't cease. Seeing my expression, Shiroi decided to commence todays hunt.

"I have located the beast you will hunt today. It is a Rank 1 scaled tigress. It's skin is strong and not easy to pierce and its claws will easily rip through you as if you were paper. This will be your hardest challenge."

Shiroi placed his slender hand on me and my vision blurred. My surroundings changed; we had teleported to a savanna type terrain. My eyes focused and I immediately got ready for an attack.

A tigress with florescent scales glared at me from a distance. I assessed my surroundings in search of anything to aide my fight. There were large vines dangling from massive trees. A plan slowly started to formulate.

"ROARRR!!!"

'So loud' I thought. I unsheathed Moon Crescent katana and prepared too unleash the first set of sword moves.

*WHOOSH!*

The tigress was agile and rapid. It wasn't impossible to read so I readied myself to dodge; I rolled to the right as the beast flew past me. It grunted in annoyance and recovered quickly ready to lunge again. I proceeded to dodge it's every attack by a hairs breadth each time. I was slowly luring my target to the trees.

I had quickly assessed that brute force wouldn't win me this fight as this beast was nearly two Ranks ahead of me so I devised a plan.

The beast was about a meter away from where I desired it to be so I got impatient and lunged at it hoping it would become flustered. I unleashed a lighting fast blade straight at its neck.

*SCREECH!*

The word bounced of it's scales.

"Fuck!" I yelled as I knew I had blundered. The tigress used this moment I had attacked to release a dreadfully powerful swipe at my ribs.

*BOOM!*

The strike was powerful and sent me ten meters back. I smashed my against the very tree I had wanted to lure it too. I looked down to assess my wound and it didn't look to good; it's claws had torn through my protective gear and left a massive gash where my ribs were. Blood leaked out of my torso but I couldn't falter. I channeled the rest of my qi into my legs and jumped directly 5 meters into the air and latched onto one of the vines.

The beast had cleared the distance and prepared itself to jump. I abandoned my sword, kicked of the tree with my feet and lunged into the attack zone. My qi was running low but now wasn't the time to use it sparingly, I channeled a large portion into my eyes to increase my depth perception. Just as the beast was about to jump, I twisted my body and effectively wrapped the vine around its massive head.

A wave of relief washed over me. 'It worked!' The beast was choking on the ground and with my sword abandoned I rushed toward it with my bare fists. I jumped on its back and started pounding its head.

*BOOM...BOOM...BOOM!*

Blow after blow channeling every ounce of qi I had left.

*CRUNCHH!*

I broke through its defense but the blows never ceased.

"ARGHH!"

I let the best within myself out to play and pounded the beats head until all that was left were broken bones and brain matter. I had punched its head into a skin sack of goo. The exhaustion hit me and my qi was depleted, my eyes shut and with that I had lost consciousness.

Shiroi watched this scene with his jaw slack and his eyes threatening to fall out of their sockets.

"What in god's name have I just witnessed?" he muttered as he poured a healing potion down my throat.