The realization hit me like a physical blow. This was the first life I'd taken with my own hands. Not Kaine's life. Not Abel's, technically, since those were the original Kaine's actions. This was mine. A choice I'd made in the heat of battle to survive.
The beast's blood was hot on my hands, soaking into the leather grip of the saber. The smell of it, iron mixed with something more acrid from the acid, made my stomach turn.
I wanted to vomit. Wanted to drop the weapon and run. Wanted to scrub my hands clean and pretend this hadn't happened.
But even as I stood there, trembling with adrenaline and shock, the system screen flickered with new information.
[Combat complete.]
[Novice-ranked beast defeated while Unranked. Significant achievement recognized.]
[Analyzing combat performance...]
[Saber Arts (Basic) proficiency increased. Progress: 23%]
[Mana Circulation (Basic) proficiency increased. Progress: 8%]
[Note: Defeating enemies of higher rank provides accelerated skill growth and contributes to ranking advancement requirements.]
I stared at the messages, my mind still foggy from the battle. The skills had improved. I'd gotten stronger, at least marginally. But I was still Unranked. Still at the bottom of the power hierarchy in this world.
'How many of these things do I need to kill before I can actually rank up? And what are the requirements?'
Before I could think to ask the system for clarification, I heard something that made my blood run cold.
Another growl.
Then another.
And another.
I turned slowly, my heart sinking, and saw them emerging from the trees. More Crimson Maws. Three of them, each as large as the one I'd just killed, spreading out to surround me.
'The description said they hunt in packs.'
The system screen appeared again, this time with a single line of text that confirmed my worst fears.
[Warning: Multiple Novice-ranked hostiles detected. Survival probability: 8%]
'Eight percent. That's... that's nothing.'
The three beasts began to circle, their movements coordinated in a way that spoke to pack intelligence. They weren't going to rush in blindly like the first one had. They were going to wear me down, take turns attacking, exploit every opening until I made a fatal mistake.
I was going to die here.
The thought came with startling clarity, almost calm in its certainty. I'd survived one Crimson Maw through a combination of luck, instinct, and the saber's guidance. But three? When I was already exhausted? When my arms felt like lead and my legs were shaking from sustained adrenaline?
'No. No, I didn't survive transmigration and a soul binding just to die in my first real fight.'
I raised the saber into a guard position, ignoring how heavy it felt now, and tried to slow my breathing. Tried to think.
The beasts were being cautious because they'd seen what happened to their packmate. That gave me maybe thirty seconds before they decided the risk was worth it.
'I need an advantage. Something to even the odds. But what? I'm Unranked. I have no combat experience. My only skill is basic saber arts, and that's barely keeping me alive.'
My eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for anything I could use. A tree to put at my back? The terrain was too open. A weapon besides the saber? There was nothing. High ground? Not enough time to reach it.
'Come on. Think. The system gave me all these abilities. There has to be something—'
Wait.
Mana Circulation. I had that skill. Basic proficiency, but it was there. Warriors used mana circulation to enhance their physical capabilities. Strength, speed, durability.
'But I've never done it before. Kaine's memories don't include any practical experience with mana manipulation. How am I supposed to—'
The second Crimson Maw lunged, cutting off my thoughts.
I barely managed to sidestep, the saber coming up in a desperate parry that deflected snapping jaws away from my face. The beast's momentum carried it past me, and I stumbled backward, only to find the third beast had already circled behind.
Claws raked across my back, tearing through my coat and the shirt beneath. I felt the sting of split flesh, felt warm blood begin to flow, and bit down on a scream.
'No time. No time to think. Just do it.'
I reached inward, searching for the sensation I'd felt during the soul binding. That warmth in my chest. That energy flowing through my body. My mana.
There. I found it. A core of heat sitting just below my sternum, pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat.
'Circulate. The skill is called Mana Circulation. So I need to move it. Push it through my body.'
I grabbed onto that core mentally and shoved, forcing the energy out into my limbs. It moved sluggishly at first, resisting my inexperienced control, but desperation lent me focus.
The warmth spread down my arms, into my legs, and suddenly everything changed.
My muscles flooded with strength. Not much, barely noticeable under normal circumstances, but in the midst of combat, it was the difference between life and death. My movements became slightly faster, my strikes slightly more powerful.
The first Crimson Maw lunged again, and this time when I brought the saber up to meet it, the blade didn't just deflect the attack. It cut.
Steel bit deep into the beast's shoulder, carving through muscle and gristle to scrape against bone. The creature howled and jerked back, blood streaming from the wound.
'It worked. It actually worked.'
But maintaining the mana circulation was harder than initiating it. I could feel the energy wanting to settle back into my core, and keeping it flowing required constant mental effort on top of focusing on the fight.
The other two beasts attacked simultaneously from different angles. Left and right, perfectly coordinated.
I couldn't block both.
So I didn't try.
I charged forward, directly at the one on the left, and thrust with all the enhanced strength I could muster. The saber punched into the Crimson Maw's chest, sliding between ribs to pierce something vital. The beast's eyes went wide with shock, and it coughed blood onto my coat.
But I'd turned my back on the third beast.
Claws raked across my shoulders, tearing deep gouges that sent fire shooting down my spine. This time I did scream, the pain overwhelming every other sensation.
I yanked the saber free and spun, slashing blindly behind me. The blade connected with something solid, and I heard a yelp of pain.
My vision was starting to blur at the edges. Blood loss, adrenaline crash, or mana exhaustion? Probably all three. I couldn't maintain the circulation anymore. The warmth was fading, my enhanced strength draining away like water through a sieve.
Two of the Crimson Maws were down. One definitely dead with my blade through its heart, the other dying from the deep shoulder wound that had severed major arteries. But the third was still standing, and I was running on fumes.
The remaining beast seemed to sense my weakness. It advanced slowly, cautiously, no longer rushing in with the same aggression. It knew it just had to wait. I was already bleeding from multiple wounds. Eventually, I'd collapse from blood loss or exhaustion, and then I'd be easy prey.
'No. Not like this. I refuse.'
I raised the saber one more time, though my arms shook with the effort. My stance was sloppy now, all the instinctive grace from earlier gone. But I was still standing. Still breathing. Still fighting.
The Crimson Maw began to circle, looking for the perfect angle of attack. Its eyes tracked every minute movement I made, every tremor in my arms, every unsteady shift of my weight.
'It knows I'm done. It's just waiting for me to fall.'
Blood dripped from my back and shoulders, pattering onto the ground in a steady rhythm. My vision swam. My legs felt like they might give out at any moment.
But I refused to fall. Refused to die here in this forest after surviving everything else.
'If I'm going down, I'm taking this bastard with me.'
The Crimson Maw must have sensed my resolve, or perhaps it simply grew tired of waiting. It bunched its muscles and lunged, jaws wide, going straight for my throat.
I didn't try to dodge. Didn't try to parry.
I dropped to one knee and angled the saber upward, using the last of my strength to brace the pommel against the ground.
The beast impaled itself on the blade.
Its momentum carried it forward, driving the saber deeper and deeper into its chest cavity. The point burst out through its back in a spray of blood and internal matter. The creature's jaws snapped shut inches from my face, close enough that I could smell the acid on its breath, feel the heat of its rage.
Then its eyes glazed over, and its massive body went limp.
The weight of it bore down on me, and I couldn't hold it anymore. I collapsed backward, the dead Crimson Maw pinning me to the ground, the saber still lodged in its chest.
Pain radiated from a dozen different wounds. My left arm throbbed where teeth had punctured flesh earlier in the fight. My back and shoulders burned. Every breath felt like inhaling fire.
But I was alive.
The three Crimson Maws lay dead around me, their blood soaking into the forest floor, mixing with my own.
'I won. Somehow, impossibly, I won.'
The system screen appeared, and through my fading vision, I saw text scrolling across it.
[Combat complete.]
[Multiple Novice-ranked beasts defeated while Unranked. Exceptional achievement recognized.]
[Saber Arts (Basic) proficiency significantly increased. Progress: 67%]
[Mana Circulation (Basic) proficiency significantly increased. Progress: 41%]
[Title acquired: Beast Slayer (Novice) - You have defeated multiple beasts of higher rank through skill and determination. Damage against beast-type enemies increased by 5%]
[Warning: Critical injuries detected. Immediate rest recommended.]
[Note: Continue accumulating combat experience and attribute growth to meet Novice rank advancement requirements.]
I tried to read the rest of the messages, but darkness was creeping in at the edges of my vision. My body had reached its limit. The adrenaline that had been keeping me conscious was fading, and there was nothing left to sustain me.
'Just need to... rest. Just for... a minute...'
I managed to push the dead Crimson Maw off my chest with a weak shove, freeing myself from its weight. The saber remained clutched in my right hand, its blade still stained with the blood of my first real victories.
The last thing I saw before consciousness faded was the morning sun filtering through the leaves overhead, painting everything in shades of gold.
Then everything went black.