I woke to pale morning light filtering through my window, my body stiff but significantly better than yesterday. The shoulder wound had closed completely overnight, leaving behind only a thin pink scar that would fade in another day or two. The Primordial Chaos Physique's regeneration capabilities were proving even more effective now that I'd advanced to Novice rank.
I sat up and immediately felt the weight in my coat pocket where I'd left it draped over a chair. The Crimson Alpha's core. I'd been too exhausted last night to do anything with it beyond getting treatment and collapsing into bed.
But now, in the quiet of early morning before Jack's inevitable summons, I had time.
I retrieved the core from my pocket, the crystallized mana still pulsing with that deep crimson glow. Large as my fist, warm to the touch, radiating power that I could feel even with my Blade Sense skill.
The Einsworth Family Saber responded immediately through our soul bond. Hunger surged through the connection, stronger than before. The weapon wanted this core desperately, could sense the quality and potency it contained.
I looked at the legendary blade where it rested against the wall, still in its sheath. Made my decision.
'Jack said the core would be useful for crafting equipment. But the saber is my equipment. And it's already shown it can extract abilities from cores and use them to awaken its sealed potential.'
I drew the saber and held it in one hand, the Alpha's core in the other. The black gem set into the crossguard began to glow even before I brought the core close, anticipating what was about to happen.
'Alright. Let's see what a peak Novice-tier core can do.'
I pressed the core against the gem.
The system screen appeared instantly.
[Soul-bound weapon has detected consumable material: Peak Novice Beast Core (Crimson Alpha)]
[Warning: This is a significantly more powerful core than previously consumed. Absorption may take longer and produce more dramatic effects.]
[Feed this core to the Einsworth Family Saber?]
[Yes / No]
'Yes.'
The gem's light exploded outward, far more intense than when I'd fed it the regular Crimson Maw cores. Black radiance filled my room, swallowing the morning light, creating an area of absolute darkness that somehow allowed me to see everything within it with perfect clarity.
The core in my hand began to dissolve, but not quickly like before. The process was slower, more deliberate, as though the saber was savoring the quality of what it consumed. The crystallized mana flowed into the gem like honey, thick and viscous, carrying with it all the accumulated power of a peak Novice-tier apex predator.
The sensation through our soul bond was intense. I could feel the saber drinking in the energy, processing it, integrating it into its own structure. The weapon hummed with satisfaction, a sound I heard not with my ears but through our connection.
Thirty seconds passed. Forty-five. A full minute. The core continued dissolving, being absorbed bit by bit.
Finally, after nearly two minutes, the last traces of the core disappeared into the gem. The black radiance receded, returning my room to normal morning light that now seemed almost dim by comparison.
I blinked, adjusting to the change, and looked down at the saber. The blade seemed unchanged physically, but I could feel through our bond that something fundamental had shifted. The weapon felt more present somehow, more awake.
The system screen updated.
[The Einsworth Family Saber has consumed: Peak Novice Beast Core (Crimson Alpha)]
[Analyzing core properties...]
[Multiple abilities detected. Processing...]
[Ability extracted: Alpha's Dominance (Passive)]
[You have gained: Alpha's Dominance (Passive) - Your presence carries the weight of one who has slain pack leaders. Beast-type enemies of equal or lower rank are more likely to hesitate before attacking you. Intimidation effects against beast-type enemies increased by 25%.]
[Ability extracted: Crimson Fury (Active)]
[You have gained: Crimson Fury (Active) - Channel the Crimson Alpha's berserker rage into your strikes. For 30 seconds, all physical attacks deal an additional 30% damage, but mana costs for techniques increase by 20%. Cooldown: 5 minutes. Cost: 10 Mana.]
[Special resonance detected: Peak-tier core contains significantly more energy than standard cores.]
[Additional awakening progress achieved: 0.15%]
[Current total awakening progress: 0.26%]
[Milestone reached: 0.25% awakening threshold]
[New effect unlocked: The Einsworth Family Saber now resonates more strongly with Flash God Technique arts. Mana cost for all Flash God techniques reduced by 10% when wielding this weapon.]
I stared at the messages, processing what I was seeing. Two new abilities instead of one. Significant awakening progress. And a new passive effect that would make executing my family's techniques more efficient.
'The saber is growing stronger. And so am I.'
I pulled up my full status screen, wanting to see the complete picture of my current capabilities.
[Status]
[Name: Kaine Einsworth]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 16]
[Titles: Cursed and Unfortunate | Blade Born | Saber Garden's Chosen | Rank Ascendant]
[Rank: Novice (Low-tier)]
[Attributes:]
[Strength: 29]
[Agility: 33]
[Endurance: 22]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Wisdom: 17]
[Mana: 55/55]
[Luck: -5]
[Talent: Chaos Element (Mythical) - 0/9 Basic Elements Awakened]
[Physique: Primordial Chaos Physique (Mythical)]
[Skills:]
[Combat Skills:]
[- Saber Arts (Basic) - Level 2: Fundamental saber techniques and forms]
[- First Light (Basic) - 8%: Flash God Technique First Art - Quick-draw attack]
[- Phantom Step (Basic) - 1%: Flash God Technique Second Art - Rapid repositioning]
[- Heaven Splitter (Basic) - 1%: Flash God Technique Third Art - Devastating thrust]
[- Savage Slash (Basic): Mana-enhanced cutting attack, 5 mana cost]
[Passive Skills:]
[- Mana Circulation (Intermediate) - Level 1: Enhanced mana flow and efficiency]
[- Blade Sense (Basic) - 5%: Detect and assess bladed weapons within range]
[- Poison Resistance (Basic): 15% reduction in poison damage and duration]
[- Alpha's Dominance (Passive): Increased intimidation against beast-type enemies]
[Active Skills:]
[- Crimson Fury (Active): 30% damage boost for 30 seconds, 10 mana cost, 5-minute cooldown]
[Equipment:]
[- Einsworth Family Saber (Legendary, Soul-Bound): Awakening Progress 0.26%]
[Special Effect: Flash God Technique mana costs reduced by 10%]
I read through the entire status screen twice, analyzing every detail. The growth was undeniable. Three weeks ago, I'd been Unranked with mediocre attributes and no real combat skills. Now I was Novice rank with attributes that rivaled mid-tier warriors in my bracket, multiple combat techniques, and a legendary weapon that was slowly awakening to its true potential.
My strength had nearly doubled from the starting twelve to twenty-nine. My agility had more than doubled from fourteen to thirty-three. My mana capacity had grown from twenty to fifty-five. The numbers told a story of rapid, aggressive advancement.
But it was the skills that really stood out. First Light at eight percent proficiency, proven in actual combat. Phantom Step and Heaven Splitter learned and functional. Passive abilities that enhanced my survivability and combat effectiveness. Active skills that gave me tactical options beyond just the three foundational arts.
'And this is just the beginning. Jack said the first three arts are just the foundation. There are nine more arts in the complete Flash God Technique, each one building on what came before.'
I thought about what lay ahead. Approximately eleven days until the second hunt against the Apprentice-ranked Razorback Boar. Then three days of final preparation before the unarmed spar with Jack. Then departure for the Continental Academy.
The academy. Where nobles from all five kingdoms gathered to study, train, and form the alliances that would shape their adult lives. Where I'd be surrounded by people who knew Abel, who'd heard about Kaine's reputation as a disgrace to the Einsworth name.
'What will it be like? Fighting against students who've been trained since childhood by the best instructors their families could afford? Competing with other Novice and Apprentice-ranked combatants who have talents and techniques I've never seen?'
The thought should have intimidated me. But standing there in my room, looking at my status screen and feeling the weight of the legendary saber in my hand, I felt something else instead.
Curiosity. Anticipation. Even excitement.
'Let them come. Let them test me. I've survived the Saber Garden twice. I've learned techniques in days that take others weeks. I've killed beasts stronger than me through skill and tactics. Whatever the academy throws at me, I'll handle it.'
I dismissed the status screen and sheathed the Einsworth Family Saber. The weapon settled into its scabbard with a satisfied whisper, content with its meal and the progress it represented.
Outside, I heard the familiar heavy footsteps approaching down the hallway. Jack's morning summons, right on schedule.
'Time to continue training. Time to push even harder.'
I gathered my things and prepared to face another day of brutal refinement.
---
The next ten days blurred together into an endless cycle of training, exhaustion, recovery, and training again. But this time, the focus had shifted from learning the fundamentals to refining them into something truly dangerous.
Jack drove me harder than he had during the initial instruction. Now that I knew the basic forms, he demanded perfection in execution. Every stance had to be exactly right. Every mana pulse had to be perfectly timed. Every technique had to flow from one to the next without pause or hesitation.
"First Light into Phantom Step," he barked on the eighteenth day. "Kill the target and reposition before a second enemy can respond. Execute."
I settled into stance, gathered mana, and drew. The practice dummy twenty feet away developed a clean diagonal cut as my pressure wave struck. Before the wood even finished splintering, I flowed directly into Phantom Step, repositioning fifteen feet to the left.
The transition cost me eighteen mana total. First Light at nine points with the saber's reduction effect, Phantom Step at eight. But the chained execution was smooth, each technique feeding into the next without wasted motion.
"Again. Faster. The delay between techniques leaves you vulnerable."
Draw, cut, release, step. The chain became smoother with each repetition. By the hundredth execution, I could complete both techniques in under two seconds total.
"Phantom Step into Heaven Splitter," Jack commanded the next day. "Close distance on a ranged opponent and eliminate them before they can retreat. Execute."
Step, plant, thrust. The compressed air projectile that shot from my practice sword struck with enough force to embed wood splinters into the courtyard's stone floor.
"Again. Your completion stance after Phantom Step is slightly unstable, which delays your Heaven Splitter initiation. Fix it."
The days consumed themselves. Morning warm-ups became more intense, designed to push my Novice-rank endurance. The repetitions multiplied. Five hundred executions of First Light became the minimum daily requirement. Three hundred Phantom Steps. Two hundred Heaven Splitters.
My proficiency climbed steadily.
First Light reached fifteen percent by the twentieth day. The technique was becoming truly instinctive now, my body executing it with minimal conscious thought. The preparation time decreased from two seconds to barely one. The power increased as my understanding deepened.
Phantom Step reached seven percent. The footwork that had felt awkward and unnatural during initial learning now felt like a natural extension of how I moved. I could reposition without thinking about it, my body finding optimal angles automatically.
Heaven Splitter reached five percent. The devastating thrust was still the technique I struggled with most, its all-or-nothing nature requiring commitment that my survival instincts resisted. But slowly, gradually, it was becoming reliable.
"Combat endurance," Jack announced on the twenty-second day. "You can execute the techniques. Now you need to maintain that capability during extended engagements. Begin."
He had me run through all three techniques in rotation for thirty minutes straight. Draw and cut. Step and reposition. Plant and thrust. Over and over until my mana pool depleted completely, then continue with just the physical motions until my muscles failed.
When I collapsed after that first session, Jack simply nodded.
"Tomorrow you'll last longer. The day after, longer still. By the time you face the Razorback Boar, you'll be able to fight at full effectiveness for an hour straight."
He was right. My endurance grew day by day. Thirty minutes became forty. Forty became fifty. By the twenty-fifth day, I could maintain high-intensity technique usage for a full hour before my mana pool ran dry and my body demanded rest.
My attributes continued to climb through constant training. Not as dramatically as the advancement to Novice rank had provided, but steadily. Strength increased by another point. Agility by two. Endurance by three as my body adapted to the brutal physical demands.
The changes weren't just physical. My mana circulation became more refined, the Intermediate proficiency evolving from newly acquired to genuinely competent. I could feel the energy flowing through my pathways with less resistance, could direct it with increasing precision.
My Blade Sense skill climbed to twelve percent through constant exposure to weapons during training. I could now detect blades within a fifteen-foot radius, and when holding the Einsworth Family Saber, that range extended to seventy-five feet. More importantly, I was beginning to sense not just the presence of weapons but their quality and the rough skill level of whoever wielded them.
On the morning of the twenty-sixth day, Jack called me to the center of the courtyard after the usual warm-up.
"Your second hunt begins today," he announced. "The target is a Razorback Boar. Apprentice rank, low-tier. It inhabits the northern quadrant of the Saber Garden, in the rocky highlands where the terrain is more difficult."
He pulled out his notebook and showed me a detailed sketch. The boar was massive, easily twice the size of the Crimson Alpha, with tusks like curved daggers and a ridge of razor-sharp quills running down its spine.
"The Razorback is significantly more dangerous than the Alpha you faced," Jack continued. "It's faster despite its size, hits harder, and those quills can be launched as projectiles when it feels threatened. Its hide is thick enough to deflect casual strikes, so your techniques need to be executed properly or they won't penetrate."
He closed the notebook.
"This hunt will test everything you've learned and refined over the past weeks. The Razorback won't give you time to prepare techniques slowly. It won't politely wait while you position yourself. It will attack with overwhelming aggression from the moment it detects you."
Jack's expression became serious.
"The Crimson Alpha was a test of whether you could execute techniques under pressure. The Razorback is a test of whether you can survive against an opponent that outmatches you in every category. It's Apprentice rank. You're Novice rank. The gap between tiers is significant."
He paused.
"But you have advantages the boar doesn't. Intelligence. Technique. A legendary weapon. Use them wisely, and you'll return with its core. Fail, and you won't return at all."
Jack gestured toward the manor's eastern gate where I could see a carriage already waiting.
"You leave now. Return before nightfall. Understood?"
"Understood," I replied, my voice steady despite the anxiety churning in my gut.
An Apprentice-rank opponent. A full tier above the Alpha that had nearly killed me. This was a significant escalation in difficulty.
But I was also significantly stronger than I'd been ten days ago. My proficiency with the techniques had nearly doubled. My attributes had increased. My combat endurance was far superior.
'I can do this. I have to do this.'
I checked my equipment one final time. The Einsworth Family Saber hung at my hip, the legendary blade humming contentedly through our bond. My mana pool was at maximum capacity, fifty-five points ready to fuel whatever techniques the fight required. My body was in peak condition, fully recovered from yesterday's training.
I walked toward the waiting carriage, Jack's footsteps falling in beside me.
"Remember what I've taught you," he said quietly. "The Flash God Technique exists because our ancestors understood a fundamental truth: the strong don't always win. The fast win. The precise win. Those who strike first and strike true win."
He stopped at the carriage door.
"You're facing an Apprentice-rank beast. It's stronger, tougher, more experienced. But if you can land First Light cleanly before it knows the fight has started, none of that matters. Speed and precision over brute force. Always."
"I remember," I said, climbing into the carriage.
"Then go. Hunt well, Young Master Kaine."
The driver urged the horses forward, and the estate began to fall away behind us. I watched through the window as the familiar grounds disappeared, replaced by farmland and forest.
Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the Saber Garden's entrance. The same spot where I'd departed after killing the Crimson Alpha. The ancient trees seemed to recognize me, their presence somehow more welcoming than threatening.
'Three times now. Three times entering this forest to hunt beasts that should be able to kill me.'
The driver remained seated, his expression carefully neutral as I climbed down.
"I'll wait until sunset," he said, repeating the same words from last time. "If you haven't returned by then, I leave."
"I'll be back before then," I replied with more confidence than I felt.
I turned and faced the Saber Garden's entrance. Drew the Einsworth Family Saber and re-sheathed it, feeling the familiar motion, the weight of the legendary blade.
Then I walked into the forest, heading north toward the rocky highlands where a Razorback Boar waited to test everything I'd become.
The trees closed in around me, swallowing the outside world, leaving only the hunt.