"How much longer are we hunting?" Kael asked, clearly tired but trying to maintain readiness.

I considered the question while watching Changing Star eat. Dawn was still several hours away, but pushing too hard risked exhaustion that would compromise safety.

"One more encounter if we find appropriate prey," I decided. "Then we extract and return to the mansion before sunrise."

Chirp!

Changing Star's enthusiastic response suggested she was ready for more hunting despite having already fought multiple battles.

That dragon's stamina was truly absurd.

"Rest while she eats," I told Kael. "Recover your mana and prepare for potentially one more engagement."

He nodded gratefully and sat down to meditate, channeling breathing techniques to accelerate recovery.

I stood watch while my team recovered, the Swift Essence aspect already making my perception feel sharper as enhanced reaction time allowed faster processing of sensory information.

Tonight had been highly productive. Soul power gains, combat experience for my allies, and now a permanent speed enhancement that would serve me for the rest of my life.

If we could find one more strong target before dawn, this would rank among my most successful hunting expeditions yet.

------

After Changing Star finished consuming her fill and Kael recovered his mana reserves, we pressed deeper into the forest in search of one final worthy opponent before returning home.

Kojiro ranged ahead as scout, venturing into territories where only the strongest beasts established domains. When he returned after fifteen minutes, his expression carried unusual seriousness.

"Master, I've located a significant threat. Transcendent Mammoth, mid-tier based on aura density. It's alone but extremely powerful."

I felt a spark of interest mixed with caution. Mid-tier Transcendent meant it was roughly halfway between low and high Transcendent rank - substantially stronger than anything we'd encountered tonight. That would be genuinely challenging even for me.

"Perfect. That's exactly what I need."

"Adrian, are you sure?" Kael asked with obvious concern. "Mid-tier Transcendent is..."

"Dangerous, yes. But necessary if I want to reach peak-Elite rank tonight." I checked my equipment and prepared mentally. "You three stay back and observe."

Changing Star made a concerned chirping sound, clearly wanting to help despite recognizing the threat level exceeded what she should engage.

"I know, but this one's mine," I told her gently. "Watch and learn."

We approached carefully until the creature came into view, and I understood immediately why Kojiro had emphasized the threat level.

The Transcendent Mammoth was absolutely massive - easily five meters tall at the shoulder with tusks that could impale a building. Its hide looked thick enough to stop most weapons, and the mid-tier Transcendent aura radiating from it pressed against my senses like physical weight.

This wasn't prey that could be dispatched in seconds. This was a genuine fight.

The moment I stepped into its territory, the mammoth bellowed a territorial challenge that shook the surrounding forest.

ROOOAAAAR!

I responded by drawing my sword and flooding my body with Blood Enhancement at maximum output. The Swift Essence aspect activated automatically, sharpening my perception and reaction speed by that critical ten percent. Every advantage would matter in this engagement.

The mammoth launched forward despite its massive size, moving with shocking speed as it lowered those enormous tusks toward me in a devastating charge.

Whoosh!

I activated the Royal-rank footwork, my enhanced speed allowing me to dodge aside at the last possible moment. The mammoth's charge carried it past my position with unstoppable momentum, its tusks missing by centimeters.

Slash!

I counter-attacked immediately, my blade striking the mammoth's flank as it passed. The steel connected but barely penetrated - that hide was incredibly thick, requiring far more force than normal Transcendent beasts to damage meaningfully.

The mammoth wheeled around with surprising agility for something so large, its trunk swinging toward me like a massive club.

WHOOSH! IMPACT!

I raised my arms defensively and activated Stone Echo just before impact. The trunk connected with devastating force, but the stone armor absorbed most of the kinetic energy. I still flew backward several meters from the sheer power, but avoided serious injury.

Thud!

I landed and immediately rolled aside as the mammoth's foot crashed down where I'd been a moment before. The ground crater formed from the impact showed what would have happened to my body.

This beast wasn't just strong - it was fast, intelligent, and knew how to use its massive frame as a weapon.

Slash! Slash! Dodge!

I engaged in a deadly dance, attacking vulnerable points whenever openings appeared while constantly moving to avoid the mammoth's devastating counter-attacks. My blade work targeted eyes, joints, the softer hide near the belly - anywhere that offered hope of meaningful damage.

But progress was frustratingly slow. The mammoth's natural defenses were extraordinary, and its combat experience showed in how it protected vulnerabilities while pressing offense relentlessly.

I needed more power.

Activate: Silent Predator

My presence suddenly diminished, becoming harder for the mammoth to track accurately. The aspect that masked my killing intent created momentary confusion in the beast's responses, making its attacks slightly less precise.

Slash!

I exploited the confusion to land a deeper strike across the mammoth's front leg, finally drawing substantial blood. The creature bellowed in pain and rage, its attacks becoming more aggressive and less controlled.

The massive trunk swung with enough force to shatter stone, but Silent Predator's masking effect combined with Swift Essence's speed boost allowed me to slip past the attack and strike the extended limb.

Slash!

Another wound opened, blood flowing from the damaged trunk. The mammoth was accumulating injuries now, but it was still far from defeated.

CHARGE! DESPERATE!

The beast launched another full-power charge, apparently deciding to crush me through overwhelming force regardless of damage taken.

This was it - the moment requiring my strongest technique.

Activate: Null Strike

I channeled the ability through my blade, feeling the defensive-negating power flow into the steel. This technique ignored physical resistances and armor, striking directly at the target's life force.

WHOOSH!

I used footwork to slip aside from the charging mammoth at the last instant, positioning perfectly for a counter-strike at its exposed side as it passed.

SLASH!

Null Strike activated blade connected with the mammoth's ribcage, and this time the technique lived up to its reputation. The strike penetrated far deeper than normal, bypassing the thick hide entirely and damaging vital organs beneath.

The mammoth screamed and wheeled around, but I could see the critical damage had registered. Its movements were less coordinated now, breathing labored from internal injury.

But it wasn't done yet.

The massive trunk wrapped around my torso before I could fully dodge, lifting me off the ground with crushing pressure. Stone Echo activated reflexively, stone armor forming to prevent immediate death from the constriction.

Crack!

Even with the protection, I felt ribs threatening to break from the overwhelming pressure. The mammoth was trying to crush me to death, and despite my defenses, it might succeed.

Activate: Null Strike

I twisted my sword arm despite the constriction and drove the blade into the trunk holding me, channeling another Null Strike through the weapon.

The defensive-ignoring strike pierced deep into the trunk's flesh, causing such intense pain that the mammoth reflexively released its grip. I fell and immediately rolled away, gasping for breath despite Stone Echo having prevented the worst of the damage.

No time to fully recover. The mammoth was preparing another attack, and I was running low on stamina from the extended high-intensity combat.

The wounded beast launched what appeared to be a last desperate charge, throwing everything into one final attempt to kill the persistent threat that had caused so much pain.

I set my stance, gathering power for one more Null Strike - my third of the fight. Using the technique this frequently was draining, but this needed to end now.

WHOOSH!

The mammoth closed distance with terrifying speed despite its injuries. I waited, watching its approach, timing the moment perfectly.

I dodged aside at the absolute last instant, using Royal-rank footwork to position perfectly at the mammoth's exposed side as it committed fully to the charge with no ability to change direction.

Activate: Null Strike - Maximum Power

I channeled everything into this strike - Blood Enhancement at full output, all my physical strength, perfect technique execution, and the defensive-negating power of Null Strike flowing through the blade.

SLASH!

The sword struck the mammoth's side at the exact vulnerable point where ribs met belly, driving deep into vital organs with power that ignored all physical resistance. The blade penetrated so deep it emerged partially from the opposite side.

The Transcendent Mammoth's charge faltered, momentum carrying it forward several more meters before its legs gave out completely. It crashed to the ground with earth-shaking impact, blood pooling rapidly from the catastrophic wound.

Final breath... stillness... death.

The massive beast exhaled one last time and went completely still, its mid-tier Transcendent aura fading as life left its body.

[Transcendent-rank soul power absorbed]

But this wasn't a normal Transcendent kill - this was mid-tier, containing substantially more essence than the earlier prey.

The soul power flooded into me with overwhelming intensity, far more concentrated and potent than previous absorptions. I felt my foundation shake as the massive influx of essence pushed against my current rank limitations.

[Advancement Complete: Peak-Elite Rank Achieved]

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