I sheathed my sword calmly, the entire sequence having been executed in a way that made it appear almost effortless.

Behind me, I heard Changing Star's impressed chirping and sensed Kael's shocked reaction through the sudden silence.

I turned to find both of them staring at me with obvious amazement.

"That was..." Kael started, then trailed off, apparently unable to find appropriate words.

Chirp chirp!

Changing Star's vocalizations carried clear admiration, her tail swishing with excitement at having witnessed the display.

"You killed a Transcendent beast in seconds," Kael finally managed. "Just with... your body and sword skills."

"Pure fundamentals," I finished. "Strength, speed, technique, and positioning. Sometimes the most effective approach is the simplest one."

Kojiro nodded with professional approval. "Clean execution, Master. The deflection-counter combination was textbook perfect, and the killing strike showed no wasted motion or energy."

It was a good reminder for both Kael and Changing Star to witness. Flashy abilities and special powers had their place, but fundamental combat excellence - refined through discipline and practice - remained devastatingly effective regardless of circumstances.

"Remember this," I told them both. "Magic and special abilities are tools, but your foundation is physical capability and technique mastery. Never neglect the basics in favor of flashy powers."

Kael nodded seriously, clearly taking the lesson to heart.

Changing Star tilted her head thoughtfully, then approached the sloth's corpse and began investigating it with obvious interest in consuming more Transcendent-rank prey.

"Go ahead," I permitted.

----

Changing Star needed no further encouragement. She immediately began devouring the Transcendent-rank sloth with enthusiastic appetite, her enhanced jaw strength tearing through flesh and bone that would have resisted normal predators. The Devour skill was working overtime, processing the powerful essence contained within Transcendent-rank meat.

While she ate, I surveyed the surrounding forest with enhanced senses. The night was still young - we'd only been hunting for a few hours, and I hadn't yet accumulated sufficient soul power to push meaningfully toward peak-Elite rank. More hunting was necessary if I wanted to maximize tonight's expedition.

Transcendent beasts were scarce compared to lower-rank prey, but they were out here. The recent aggressive behavior patterns meant more powerful creatures were active than usual, which created opportunity alongside danger.

Once Changing Star finished her meal and looked satisfied, we pressed deeper into the forest. Kojiro ranged ahead as scout while I kept Kael and Changing Star close enough for immediate support if needed.

The forest grew darker and denser as we ventured into territories where only the strong survived. Large trees blocked moonlight almost completely, creating an atmosphere of primal danger that made even experienced awakeners cautious.

After nearly thirty minutes of careful advancement, Kojiro returned with a hand signal that meant significant threat detected.

"Four Transcendent presences ahead," he reported quietly. "Pack hunters, coordinating their movements. Based on behavior patterns, likely Steel-Fang Wolves - evolved variants of wolves with metallic hide enhancement."

Four Transcendents working together. That was slightly dangerous even for me if they were mid-tier or higher, and represented serious overkill for Kael and Changing Star operating alone.

"Perfect," I said, drawing my sword. "Changing Star and I will engage directly. Kael, you provide support from range - ice manipulation to create tactical advantages, restrict movement, exploit openings. Don't try to fight them head-on."

"Understood," Kael confirmed, already channeling ice mana in preparation.

I looked at Kojiro. "Stay within range to extract Kael if things go wrong. He's the most vulnerable in this fight."

"Acknowledged, Master."

We approached the detected threat carefully until the pack came into view - four massive wolves with fur that seemed to have metallic sheen, each one easily the size of a small horse. Their coordination was immediately apparent as they spread into tactical formation the moment they detected us.

Pack hunters with Transcendent intelligence. They wouldn't make this easy.

HOWL!

The alpha wolf signaled, and all four launched into synchronized assault from different angles - classic pack tactics designed to overwhelm through simultaneous pressure from multiple directions.

But they were dealing with two Transcendent-rank opponents now, not helpless prey.

Changing Star and I split immediately, each taking two wolves to prevent them from concentrating force. Her draconic agility allowed her to engage the pair moving toward the left flank while I intercepted the right pair with blade already moving.

My sword met the first wolf's bite attempt, deflecting its metal-hard fangs with enhanced strength before countering with a precise slash across its shoulder. Blood Enhancement flooded my muscles with power while Royal-rank footwork kept me positioned perfectly between both opponents.

Behind me, I heard Changing Star engaging her pair with ferocity - frost breath colliding with steel hide, claws tearing through enhanced defenses, instincts guiding every movement.

Kael's ice manipulation created frozen patches across the battlefield, disrupting the wolves' mobility and preventing them from executing coordinated charges effectively. Icicle projectiles launched toward eyes and joints, forcing defensive reactions that created openings.

"Good support!" I called out while engaging both wolves simultaneously.

The Steel-Fang Wolves were powerful - their metallic hide resisted casual strikes, their speed was high, and their pack coordination meant they covered each other's vulnerabilities effectively.

But I had advantages they couldn't match, a supreme bloodline and an overlord secret art.

My swordsmanship was honed through countless hours of practice and actual combat experience. Every strike targeted vulnerable points - joints, eyes, throat, belly - places where even metal-enhanced hide showed weakness. Blood manipulation enhanced not just strength but also reaction speed, allowing me to respond to pack tactics faster than they expected.

When one wolf lunged for my exposed back while I engaged its partner, I used footwork to pivot at the last instant, making them collide with each other instead. The momentary confusion created the opening I needed.

SLASH! PENETRATE! KILL!

My blade found the first wolf's throat in a perfectly executed strike that severed major blood vessels despite the metal-hard fur. It collapsed with a dying howl, soul power already beginning to flow into me.

The second wolf, seeing its packmate fall, became more desperate and aggressive. It charged with reckless abandon, abandoning tactical caution for raw fury.

I used its momentum against it exactly as I had with the sloth, deflecting the charge and following with a killing strike that removed its head cleanly.

I immediately pivoted to assist Changing Star, but found she'd already eliminated one of her opponents and was finishing the second with brutal efficiency. Her frost breath flash-froze the wolf's legs, immobilizing it, before she closed distance and tore out its throat with dragon fangs.

The final wolf fell, and sudden silence returned to the forest battlefield.

Four Transcendent beasts eliminated in approximately five minutes of coordinated combat. Kael stood at safe distance, breathing heavily from the mana expenditure but unharmed thanks to Kojiro's protective positioning.

Changing Star looked energized rather than tired, her draconic constitution apparently thriving on combat intensity. She immediately began investigating the corpses with obvious interest in more food.

I felt the accumulated soul power settling into my core - four Transcendent kills providing substantial essence that pushed me noticeably closer to peak-Elite rank. The progress was tangible, my foundation strengthening with each absorption.

Then something unexpected happened.

A new notification appeared in my consciousness:

[Aspect: Swift Essence]

[Rank: Transcendent]

[Effect: Permanently enhances movement speed by 10%. This bonus applies to all forms of motion including combat speed, reaction time, and travel velocity. Passive ability, always active.]

I paused, processing this new development. Aspects were rare bonuses that awakeners could occasionally acquire from defeated powerful enemies - permanent enhancements that transcended normal cultivation advancement. They were essentially distilled characteristics taken from prey and integrated into the hunter's own capabilities.

A 10% speed increase didn't sound dramatic, but in combat where milliseconds determined life or death, that advantage was genuinely significant. Combined with my existing Blood Enhancement and Royal-rank footwork, this would push my mobility into territory that few high-Elite awakeners could match.

"Everything alright?" Kael asked, noticing my momentary stillness.

"Better than alright," I replied, testing the new enhancement with a few experimental movements. "I just gained an aspect from those kills. Speed enhancement."

His eyes widened. "An aspect? Those are incredibly rare! I've heard some awakeners go entire careers without acquiring even one!"

"Consider it good fortune," I said, though privately I suspected the system might have influenced the drop rate. Four Transcendent kills yielding an aspect was unusually lucky by normal standards.

Kojiro approached the fallen wolves, examining them with professional interest. "Steel-Fang Wolves are valuable for material harvesting. Their metallic hide can be processed into armor and weapon components."

"Harvest what's practical to carry," I decided. "The rest Changing Star can consume."

While Kojiro efficiently removed valuable materials - fangs, claws, hide sections - Changing Star began her increasingly familiar routine of devouring Transcendent flesh with enthusiastic appetite. Her growth rate was already remarkable, and feeding her multiple Transcendent corpses in one night would likely trigger another visible size increase.

Four Transcendent kills plus the earlier sloth meant I'd absorbed five Transcendent-rank essences tonight. That was substantial progress, though still not quite enough to push me over the threshold into peak-Elite.

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