Chapter 8 Unexpected Encounter

Monitoring his spiritual energy slowly recuperating, Damon's brows knitted in annoyance.

"I didn't think it would be this slow, It felt like I've been sitting on this branch for roughly two hours, and yet I've only recovered half my energy?? It's a miracle I haven't been found yet, I was hoping I was special or something but is it possible I'm just average?"

Sighing he shook his head in disappointment.

Throwing on his shirt he jumped down, landing near the river he admired the moonlight shimmering on its surface, a subtle mist drifted across like cold breath.

'My body feels kind stiff after sitting so long. I've been enhancing my body with spiritual energy, but maybe I should do some basic body training while It's still night. It is still quiet'

Damon mentally prepared himself for body training.

Starting with light cardio he jumped up and down, his joints cracking with each motion.

He took about ten minutes to warmup by running in place and jumping jacks.

Next he dropped to the ground for three sets of twenty-five push-ups followed by three sets of twenty squats and leg lunges per leg.

'Usually mother would make us do more, but I don't have the equipment needed'.

About half an hour after Damon started training, He felt a mysterious force in the air.

This was new.

This had to be spiritual energy, but somehow it felt different, much more chaotic and primal.

'Maybe I should try absorbing spiritual energy from the surroundings, Master Tomoe mentioned that all living things are leaking energy so why let it go to waste.'

Damon concentrated on the surrounding energy and tried to pull at it with his spiritual energy. He imagined his core node as a black hole and his spiritual energy as the force pulling everything and funneling it to the node itself.

It took some time getting used to as he felt his node vibrating rapidly, but after around ten minutes, Damon had become quite good at pulling spiritual energy into himself.

As soon as the force entered Damon's node, he felt it rapidly filling his node and flowing to his muscles. His body was overcome warmth as the grass under his feet drained of it lustrous color. Withering a way.

It felt nice and relaxing.

It was like he was sinking into a bed of clouds.

Like this, roughly four more hours passed.

The sun rose from the horizon, and by now, Dawn had arrived.

The sounds of the environment had returned.

Damon opened his eyes.

Morning bathed the forest in gold as beams of light shined through the trees.

'Time here is really weird, maybe I should explore the terrain for a bit, I can always fight any beast I find along the way until the third specter shows up.'

Walking with care he embraced the sounds of the forest and the gentle morning breeze,

After absorbing some of the surrounding energy, his mind felt much clearer now and his body even stronger.

Rustle! Rustle!

Twenty minutes after his quiet exploration began, he heard a rustling noise moving closer.

SHIIING!

Shifting his gaze behind him, he extended his blade with energy and casually preformed a horizontal slash splitting a large shadow headed in his direction.

The beast had diamond shaped brown patterns on its skin, It looked large enough to completely swallow him and heavy enough to carve the ground as it moved.

Yet it never stood a chance.

He found traces of this serpent's trail five minutes ago with his Mystic sense and was simply waiting for it to lunge at him.

Thinking its prey hadn't sensed it, the beast had bared its fangs only to meet its end.

Easily dispatching the serpent, Damon didn't stop walking.

Until he heard it.

The clashing of steel.

The hungry howls of wolves.

Eager for his next battle, Damon took off sprinting in the direction the sound came from, through the underbrush and leapt over tree roots he quickly arrived at the opening of a narrow clearing with a steep slope.

Lowering his gaze below he discovered three figures being encircled by a pack of six dire wolves.

Fangs dripping saliva, yellow eyes gleaming.

Crouching down at the ridge of the clearing, Damon peered through the foliage to observe the situation.

Without waiting one of the three charged at the nearest wolf to her right.

The look in her eyes was fierce as wielded her twin daggers.

Darting forward she carved a shallow wound across the wolf's snout before diving back as one of her companions followed up with an overhead horizontal swing of his large hammer.

Whoosh!

Parting the air the two blows landed.

Bang! Bang!

Smashing the wolf's skull and sending another two flying.

'Three wolves down'

Watching the battle Damon narrowed his eyes.

''Not mundane civilians," he muttered. "Those two aren't amateurs either, those attacks had energy reinforcement. Wonder if the last one is that skilled."

The third member of the trio was the most eye catching. His appearance gave the impression of royalty as he was adorned with jewels and rings.
Shockingly he was using a broad sword defensively to stave of the other three wolves.

Gasp.... Gasp.....

His face was paled as he struggled to breath.

His arms were shaking, and his stance was unstable. It was as if it was his first time wielding a blade.

Cautiously observing Damon hesitated to jump in to help.

'Should I help? Master Tomoe mentioned that others come here for their trials too. It might cause them to fail if I intervene'

Knocking the sword to the side the fourth wolf lunged towards him.

Lucky the dagger wielder rushed to his aid.

Pushing him behind her as the wolf sank its fangs into her right arm

CRUNCH!

What followed was the sound of bones braking.

Yet her expression remained unchanged as she drove her other dagger into the wolf neck.

Killing it.

Sensing another wolf rushing towards her the large man wielding the hammer moved to shield her immediately slamming the wolf aside with his shoulder.

But this action left the third member unprotected from another wolf's assault.

Seeing the wolf closing in on its prey, Damon sprung into action without hesitation.

Leaping down, He reinforced his body and blade with maximum output quickly closing the distance.

Plunging downwards Damon fell down on the wolf.

Bang!

The blade extension was insanely sharp, easily piercing through with the wolf's skull, creating an explosion crater from the impact with the ground.

Standing up, Damon was sprayed with blood as he pulled the blade from the skull.

'I'll never get used to this' he thought frowning in disgusts he retracted his energy from the blade.

Shifted his gave from the still twitching body below him, he noticed the hammer wielder had finished off the last wolf and was currently brandishing his hammer towards him.