Mana Beast.

Spiritual life forms created from the accumulation of mana.

They ranged from animals mutated by heavy exposure to mana to dragons and demons who, after years of evolution, had become a definite race in the world.

While not as dangerous as Abyssal entities, they still posed a threat to the masses. And as a self-patriotic citizen of the Sirius Empire, Art saw himself duty-bound to hunt the few that had spawned around the city—that was, until he saw one from a distance.

It stood as tall as a bear, its four legs planted on the ground, toned and as thick as wood. It was shaped like a lion, with its glistening yellow and red hair emitting static sparks of red lightning.

It was both a majestic and frightening sight as it stood positioned in front of the large, gaping cave, guarding it from trespassers.

"Should I have brought insurance?"

For a moment, he considered going back to town to beg Trish to follow him here. She wouldn't have hesitated, and with her having long started her aura training and cultivation, this much wouldn't be trouble for her.

"No... no. This battle needs stakes. I have to put in my all—no external help must be included."

The lion mana beast in the distance was the Thunder Lion, a C-rank mana beast with minor authority over lightning.

It was known for its speed and sharp claws, all infused with lightning. A single one such as this wouldn't have been a problem for him, but that thing was undoubtedly a guard—hence, he was made to believe more of them existed past the entrance of the dark cave.

He had come here for combat training, so he would no doubt try entering the cave. But he was afraid.

It was a human reaction to be frightened by things foreign to him. Mana beasts, Abyssal creatures, and so forth were the exact opposite of the races he had admired when he first came here.

He loved elves and vampires—even though some could be even more frightening than mana beasts—but that was because the two races were rational. They thought, and most had empathy, something mana beasts didn't have.

Those creatures solely existed to hunt and destroy. And lacking information about how many existed within the cave made him wary.

Crouched behind a large, deformed rock, Art's eyes darted back and forth between his sword and the beast. Finally, he gave in to his determination as he gripped the handle of the blade and stepped out from behind the rock.

Right as he did, he felt an uneasiness creep across his spine.

The chilling feeling was reminiscent of what he had felt during his entrance exams.

Killing intent.

Albeit weaker, but still discomforting.

Mana Beasts, like most wild animals, had an appetite for meat—and as far as he was concerned, he was full of meat. The rare kind.

The hiking population had probably dwindled since the academy reopened, so Art doubted the beast before him had come across prey as easy as him.

"Grrrrr..."

Just as he thought, the Thunder Lion, once guarded, lowered its stance, a low growl escaping its lips as it prepared to pounce at him.

"You can do this."

With a whisper of self-encouragement, he raised his sword forward, its tip pointed at the lion.

Scraping its claws across the ground, it bent its back, then—displaying inhuman agility—pounced at Art with a roar.

The distance between them should have been so large that a single pounce wouldn't have gotten it anywhere. But this was a mana beast—a creature enhanced by mana. So with its fur glistening with sparks of red lightning, it soared up in the air, its majesty firm, dazzling, but equally deadly as its menacing claws stretched down toward him.

Art, taking a short breath, sidestepped its pounce. Its hairy fur wafted the metallic scent of blood through his nostrils as the creature, having missed, twisted its body once on land for a claw strike.

Keeping his feet busy by infusing them with aura, he ducked under the attack, raising his sword underneath its firm belly and following with a clumsy swing amped by his mana.

The sensation of his sword digging into the creature's skin and so effortlessly cutting it open made his skin crawl—the mere feeling sickly.

No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, his sword ripping through flesh felt foreign. The same had happened during his fight with Cheshire, when he had unconsciously stopped his cut from digging too deep into her back.

"Fuck."

Darting past the lion's frame, he swung his sword, scattering the blood and flesh away as he turned to continue—only to find the lion dead on the ground, its stomach torn open with blood and intestines gushing out like water from a broken dam.

"....Well, that was anticlimactic!"

Actually surprised it had taken him a single hit to dispatch it, he sighed and approached the dead carcass.

Holding in his breath to avoid inhaling the disgusting scent of its blood, he turned its body over, spilling more of its insides as he positioned himself on it and slowly sent his sword deep through the cut he had made.

"Its core should be around its heart."

Stirring its insides like a madman for its core, his sword soon brushed against something hard. He crunched and lifted whatever it was out of the creature's gut.

"Woah."

Exclaiming in delight, he pulled out a yellow-colored, stone-shaped mineral once hidden in the creature. It was its core—where it drew mana from—and something that could come in handy for him in the future.

Using the lion's fur to wipe the bloodstains off the core, he soon stashed it within his pocket and stared at the cave in thought.

"I can kill one in a single hit, but it was a guard... meaning it must have something to protect. A king, perhaps."

For a moment, he thought he heard distant growls within the cave—each challenging him to enter. Whether that was his subconscious urging him to move forward or reality, he couldn't tell. But he knew one thing:

He was up for the challenge.

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