Chapter 18: A New Test

After a few minutes, Adrian surfaced again. He was moving faster than before, but he knew it still wasn't enough.

Before he could fully catch his breath, Valdrin's calm voice reached him.

"You're still too slow."

Adrian paused for a moment and turned toward him. Valdrin was sitting on the same rock, eating without a care in the world, as if he couldn't see the person who had been diving underwater all day.

He held up a piece of meat and said casually, "Hurry up before I finish all the food and leave you with nothing."

Adrian gave him a calm look, but anyone who saw his face could tell exactly what was going through his mind.

He took a deep breath, turned back toward the river, and dove again.

Several more minutes passed.

This time, Adrian surfaced coughing hard. Water dripped from his hair and face as he struggled to catch his breath.

Before he could say anything, Valdrin held up another piece of meat.

"Looks like..."

He paused and looked at it as if he were seriously considering something.

"This might be the last piece."

Adrian clenched his teeth.

He didn't answer.

He simply turned toward the river and jumped back in.

With every attempt, his speed increased. He still hadn't managed to reach the algae, but each dive took him farther than the one before. His movements were becoming smoother, and he was wasting less energy with every stroke.

Valdrin watched him in silence.

As time passed, a faint look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

Adrian was improving.

Slowly...

But steadily.

Adrian jumped into the water again.

The moment his body touched the surface, he shot forward like an arrow. He broke through the waves within seconds and continued diving deeper without letting them slow him down.

Ten meters...

Fifteen...

Twenty...

The water pressure increased with every meter he descended, until it felt as if the entire river was pressing down on his body.

But this time, he was different.

He was much faster than he had been that morning. His movements were more precise, and his breathing was more controlled.

And the algae...

They were getting closer.

Adrian reached for them.

His fingers moved closer...

Until only a few centimeters separated them.

But at that moment, he felt his lungs burning.

He was running out of air.

"Not now..."

He tried to reach farther, but his body began refusing to go any further.

His hand pulled back.

He had no choice but to return.

Adrian shot toward the surface with all his strength, cutting through the water before finally breaking through it. He immediately sucked a deep breath into his lungs.

For several moments, he stayed bent over a nearby rock, breathing heavily as he tried to steady his breathing.

From behind him, Valdrin's calm voice reached him.

"You're getting close."

Adrian raised his head and looked at him.

Valdrin continued without changing his expression.

"But getting close..."

He raised the last piece of meat between his fingers.

"...doesn't fill your stomach."

Adrian's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the meat.

Valdrin calmly added, "And this is almost gone."

Adrian's eyes narrowed.

He remained silent for several seconds before pushing himself back to his feet.

His body was exhausted, his arms were aching, and every breath made his lungs burn.

And yet...

He didn't give up.

He took a deep breath and said, "One more..."

He paused for a moment and closed his eyes.

"One last attempt."

He stayed still for a few seconds, going over everything that had happened since morning in his mind.

The waves... the rock... his failed attempts... the pressure... running out of air... and Valdrin's words.

"The faster you move... the less time you'll have to worry about your air."

Adrian slowly opened his eyes.

This time, there was no anger in them. No frustration.

Only focus.

He looked down into the depths of the river, then at the distant algae, and took one final breath.

Then he jumped.

The moment Adrian opened his eyes underwater, every thought disappeared from his mind. He wasn't thinking about the waves, the depth, or even the pain spreading through his body anymore. There was only one thing in front of him—the algae—and reaching them was all that mattered.

This time, he didn't try to fight against the river like he had at the beginning of his training. He used his speed and movement to cut through the waves, then continued diving as deep as he could.

Twenty meters...

Twenty-five...

Thirty...

Then thirty-five.

The pressure increased with every meter, and his chest began to burn as he desperately needed air. But he refused to let the pain distract him.

The algae were right in front of him now.

Only a little farther.

Adrian stretched out his hand with the last of his strength. His fingers finally touched the algae. He grabbed them tightly and pulled them free before immediately turning toward the surface.

His lungs were burning for air, and his vision was beginning to blur, but he didn't stop or slow down. He pushed himself upward with everything he had until he finally broke through the surface.

He sucked a deep breath into his lungs and stayed there for a few moments, trying to steady his breathing. Then he swam toward the riverbank and pulled himself out of the water with difficulty.

He took a few steps before dropping the algae at Valdrin's feet.

Valdrin looked down at them, then raised his eyes toward Adrian.

"Good."

Adrian gave a tired smile. He had finally done it. After an entire day of failed attempts, all that effort had finally paid off.

He sat down beside Valdrin and reached for the food without even thinking.

But his hand found nothing.

Adrian stopped and looked at the piece of cloth in front of Valdrin.

It was completely empty.

He slowly raised his eyes.

"...Where's the food?"

Valdrin swallowed his last bite, wiped his hands, and answered calmly.

"It's gone."

Adrian stared at the empty cloth, then at Valdrin, as if he were waiting for him to admit that he was joking.

But Valdrin's expression didn't change.

After a moment, Adrian asked, "You... ate all of it?"

Valdrin nodded.

"I told you to finish your training before I finished the food."

Adrian closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, trying to keep his temper under control.

After a moment, Valdrin said casually, "But don't worry. You can still hunt something to eat."

Adrian opened his eyes and stared at him in disbelief before turning toward the dark forest.

"Let me get this straight. You made me dive forty meters underwater all day, and now you want me to hunt a wild animal in the middle of this forest... in complete darkness?"

Valdrin answered as if there were nothing unusual about it.

"Yes."

Adrian stared at him for a few seconds, then rubbed his face tiredly.

"I'm starting to think you actually enjoy torturing me."

A faint smile appeared on Valdrin's face.

"Maybe."

Adrian looked toward the dark forest.

"And without a weapon?"

Valdrin answered calmly, "Who said there isn't a weapon?"

He pointed toward a large tree not far away.

"There's a bow and a quiver of arrows on one of its branches. Climb up and take only four arrows."

Adrian looked at him in disbelief.

"Only four?"

Valdrin nodded.

"If they aren't enough, then you didn't deserve more. And if you fail to hunt anything, you'll spend the night without food."

Adrian's shoulders dropped. He was completely exhausted, and his body felt like it couldn't take another step. He simply lay down on the ground.

"I'm exhausted... I can't even move a finger. I'm going to sleep here. I don't want any food."

Valdrin watched him for a moment before answering in the same calm tone.

"Suit yourself. But remember... if you sleep like this, you might not wake up."

Adrian opened his eyes and slowly turned toward him.

Valdrin continued, "The Dark Energy needs energy. If it doesn't have anything to feed on, it'll start feeding on its host's body instead."

He paused briefly before adding, "There's another possibility. Hunger could cause you to lose control of your anger while you're asleep. You might wake up after doing something you can never take back."

Adrian remained silent for a few seconds before letting out an annoyed sigh and getting back to his feet, muttering something under his breath.

His entire body ached from exhaustion, but he forced himself to stand. As soon as he turned toward the tree, he suddenly stopped. He remembered the wrong spot he'd been diving into all day before Valdrin finally told him where the algae actually grew.

Adrian turned back with a sarcastic smile.

"Before I go... is there anything else you forgot to tell me about hunting?"

Valdrin let out a quiet laugh.

"Looks like you're finally learning from your mistakes."

The smile slowly disappeared from Valdrin's face, replaced by a serious expression.

"If you want to hunt a wild animal, you need to shoot your arrow from above the trees, at least five meters off the ground. That way, the animal won't be able to smell you. Move carefully through the branches, too. The animals here can hear even the slightest movement."

He paused before continuing.

"As for hunting birds, you should shoot them from the ground."

Adrian looked at him in confusion, but Valdrin continued, "Still, I recommend hunting from above the trees."

"Why?"

"Birds may be larger and more aggressive, but the creatures living on the ground are much more dangerous."

Valdrin glanced toward the dark forest.

"There isn't a single peaceful creature in this forest. Everything that lives here is a predator. And if one of them notices you..."

His eyes settled on Adrian.

"You won't be the hunter anymore. You'll be the prey."

Adrian looked up toward the treetops and let out a long sigh.

"All right... looks like I'm not getting any sleep tonight either."

He turned and headed toward the tree Valdrin had pointed out, while Valdrin remained where he was, watching him with a faint smile.