Lucius crouched silently on a branch high above the forest floor, hidden by the thick canopy that cast moving shadows over the terrain below. From his vantage point, he had a clear view of the creature known as the Valgura—a monstrous bipedal beast nearly twice the size of an adult man, its body cloaked in white, scale-like armor that shimmered faintly under the scattered sunlight. Positioned on the creature's right side, Lucius longed to close the distance and face it head-on to ensure the effectiveness of his surprise attack. But this was the closest he could get without risking exposure.
With a deep breath to calm the rising tension in his chest, Lucius summoned his headgear and a spare weapon from his inventory. His movements were smooth, precise—each action executed with the kind of deliberate control only years of relentless training could instill. Clutching his standard sword in his dominant left hand, Lucius hurled it not at the Valgura itself but toward the far left side of the clearing. The weapon sailed through the air before embedding itself into the ground with such force and precision that the blade sank several centimeters into the earth.
As expected, the monster reacted immediately. The clang and thud of metal drew its attention, and the Valgura twisted its head toward the source of the disturbance. A juvenile specimen—likely lacking extensive combat experience—it relied heavily on its vision rather than its other senses, which often proved more reliable in the wild. In this case, its instincts failed it entirely.
That momentary distraction was all Lucius needed.
Without hesitation, he leapt from the tree, his body slicing through the air in a swift descent. He approached the Valgura diagonally from above its right side at an angle of 70-80 degrees, diving precisely. Two seconds before impact, Lucius ignited his mana core, channeling energy through his limbs, and summoned his signature weapon—Crimson Ultima. The blade materialized in his grip, glowing faintly with an ominous red hue.
SSSLASSHHHHHHH!
His sword tore across the Valgura's back in a diagonal arc, a crimson gash erupting across the creature's thick scales. Though Lucius had aimed for a deep wound, the dense armor-like hide resisted the full penetration of his blade. Blood erupted nonetheless, and the creature released a guttural roar that echoed through the trees—a sound hauntingly familiar to Lucius. It reminded him of the Ghost Bear he had once faced as a child.
Landing cleanly on the ground, Lucius wasted no time. He activated Dash Step—a foundational movement technique refined to surgical precision in his hands. In the span of a second, he repositioned himself several meters away. As he moved, he swung Crimson Ultima in a fluid motion, casting off the blood that stained its edge.
To Lucius's surprise, the Valgura didn't react with wild fury. Instead, it turned toward him slowly, almost deliberately, a calm yet menacing presence radiating from its posture. The wound across its back was wide and deep, and its left eye had been ruptured—likely from shrapnel during the earlier distraction.
The monster struggled to stand. One leg buckled, but it caught itself by driving its bladed arms into the earth for support. Lucius briefly considered pressing the attack, but he restrained himself. The poison laced along Crimson Ultima had already entered the creature's system. All he had to do now was buy time.
He could retreat and let the poison do its work. He could vanish into the forest and avoid further risk.
But that wasn't who he was.
The Valgura lunged forward with a sudden burst of speed, its powerful legs tearing into the ground with each step. Lucius narrowed his eyes, immediately stepping aside to evade a sweeping strike. The blade-arm sliced through the air with such force that it created a sonic burst loud enough for ordinary ears to detect. Lucius countered quickly with his sword, but the Valgura parried, its response surprisingly precise.
Blow after blow was exchanged in rapid succession—dodges, feints, counters. The beast matched Lucius's strength and gradually began to push him back. Recognizing the shift in momentum, Lucius pivoted strategies. He took two deliberate steps backward. Predictably, the Valgura advanced to close the gap.
As soon as Lucius's rear foot touched down a second time, he exploded forward with a burst of mana-infused acceleration. The Valgura's eye widened, sensing the shift too late. Lucius deflected an incoming strike and slammed his shoulder into the beast's chest.
The Valgura screamed—a distinctly humanlike cry—as Lucius followed through with an upward slash, carving another wound from the creature's lower abdomen to its chest. Though no blood spilled at first, Lucius knew he had struck true.
But proximity had its risks.
The Valgura's massive arm lashed out, and Lucius had only moments to brace. He brought his sword up in defense, deflecting the blade-arm, but a follow-up fist crashed into his chest like a warhammer. Pain exploded through his torso as he was flung backward, crashing through tree after tree before tumbling into the undergrowth.
Coughing and dazed, Lucius barely had time to scramble aside as the Valgura landed near him with a thunderous crash. Without pause, it launched three separate mana arcs—concentrated blasts of destructive energy. Lucius could have dodged early but chose to wait, evading the final strike at the last second and allowing the resulting explosion to provide a smokescreen.
Behind the cover, he activated Absolute Zero—a technique that temporarily stalled external mana interference—and pulled out a healing potion. But the Valgura wasn't idle. It leapt into the heart of the blast zone, closing the distance almost instantly.
Lucius felt his ribs ache. The reinforced armor and mana coating had dulled the worst of the damage, but he couldn't afford another direct hit to the same spot. With practiced hands, he popped the cork of the potion and downed the contents in one gulp. Then, in an unusual move, he emitted a pulse of mana, deliberately revealing his location.
The Valgura took the bait.
In a blur, the creature appeared before him and punched again, aiming to crush his chest. Lucius intercepted the blow with his sword, using the impact and Dash Step simultaneously to retreat, letting the punch's force boost his momentum. Mid-flight, he downed the final drops of the potion.
The glass bottle fell and shattered as he stood tall again.
His breath evened. His wounds closed slowly but surely.
He had enough.
No more cautious evasion. No more hit-and-run tactics.
Lucius exhaled—and with that breath, something changed.
The air around him shifted, thickened with raw mana. The faint outline of an aura flared around his frame, shimmering with pale blue and crimson sparks. His eyes glowed faintly, and Crimson Ultima pulsed like a living creature, responding to its master's will.
The Valgura, as if sensing this new threat, paused. Until now, it had fought purely on instinct and muscle memory. But now, it too ignited its mana core.
Reinforcements—jagged black armor-like plates—grew across its arms and chest. Spikes emerged along its back, and its lone eye blazed with primal rage.
The opening clash had been an appetizer.
Now, the real battle was about to begin.