"Stamina brew, done! Strength potion, done! Healing powder, done! Antidote mixture, done!"
Mel inspected the contents of his pouch to check his supplies one last time. Having brewed every potion listed on the first page of the tome's botanical section, he set off.
As he stepped out of the cavern, his face was resolute, his gaze fixed and steady.
"It's been two days since that last howl. Most of the beasts that answered the call must have left by now, but judging by these tracks, being even a little late would've been a disaster for me!"
The frail boy spoke as he traced the footprints trailing from the entrance of his sanctuary deep into the forest. Numerous tracks overlapped, yet they all belonged to the same breed.
"There's no escaping fate. They have to be from the same pack that hunted me that night. You're going to be the first test of my new life, my old friends!"
Mel chuckled softly. Adjusting his light green leather clothes, he ventured into the dense woods. Based on how his head darted from left to right, he was vigilant; the weight of a true life-and-death struggle was evident in his every movement.
Reaching a certain point, he stopped. Leaning down, he gently stroked the branches of a plant that now reached his waist.
"Thanks for the help. From the looks of it, this worked out for both of us!"
The boy spoke with joy. The plant that had helped him in the battle three days ago had grown at an astonishing rate.
"I swear, if I kill another wild beast, I'll give the whole carcass to you!"
He moved forward, carefully tracking the footprints. This time, he kept a watchful eye on his right flank, and his vigilance paid off when he threw himself to the side at the critical moment.
Foaming at the mouth as its ambush failed, the wild beast began to snarl, taking a stance for a direct confrontation.
"Grandpa, there are so many beasts eager to step into the Killing Cycle!"
He muttered to himself just as his enemy, coiled upon its four limbs, materialized before his eyes. It launched a frontal assault aimed right at his head; Mel's response was to drop to the dirt.
This reaction was not born of fear. Lying on his back, the boy struck the beast's underbelly with the right hand he had forged against the training dummies. When the beast collapsed, a hollow thud echoed, as if an empty sack had hit the ground.
Mel approached with measured steps. The spot where the beast had fallen was now a pool of crimson. He knelt and gripped the carcass by the scruff of its neck with his left hand.
At that exact moment, another shadow lunged from the undergrowth.
A heartbeat later, the shadow's claws slashed toward Mel's face, sweeping past him like a violent gust of wind.
"I was wondering when you'd show up!"
Glancing at the superficial scratches left on his right arm, the boy spoke to the beast standing five paces away. Panting heavily and snarling, the creature made no further sound; it watched Mel for a moment before turning and fleeing into the depths of the forest.
"They might be savage, but they aren't stupid!"
Claiming his spoils of war, Mel sought out the plant he had bonded with earlier. He extracted the small core of the beast, storing it inside his Spatial Ring, and laid the lifeless body at the roots of the plant before entering a meditative state.
Resting his back against a wide-trunked tree, the boy channeled his energy into the soil, directing it toward the roots of the plant. The energy flowed as effortlessly as water, encountering no resistance along its familiar path.
"What's happening? What's this burning energy?"
Everything had been proceeding smoothly, but Mel groaned in agony. Alongside the gentle stream of green energy, a new energy, surging like crimson flames, made its presence known.
As the emerald and crimson energies invaded his body, Mel trembled. His skin flushed deep red, and beads of sweat cascaded from his brow to the earth.
"So this is how it works... the plant is sharing the energy it absorbs from the blood and flesh of the wild beast with me. Great, I just have to grit my teeth and endure!"
After some time, the flow of green energy ceased, but the crimson energy continued to pour in. Mel's body flushed red, yet it was his right hand that underwent the greatest transformation. The strengthened limb was once again subjected to a baptism of energy, the sickening sounds emitting from his bones grating upon the ears.
"I don't know what these crystals are for yet, but the carcasses are definitely a huge help. I can feel it; my right hand is evolving, and my left hand is slowly getting stronger right along with it!"
Once the carcass had been devoured by the earth, Mel observed the changes taking place within his body. Thanks to his new discovery, he realized the speed of his cultivation had multiplied.
"Do you want to come with me? I could plant you inside the cave."
When he called out to the plant that now towered over him, he received no response. The plant, which had achieved years of growth in a matter of days, remained silent. The two life forms observed each other for a time, and the one capable of speech finally broke the silence.
"It looks like you'd rather stay rooted here; maybe that's for the best. Here, take another beast carcass. Think of it as a thank you."
By the time Mel finished speaking, the midday sun had reached its zenith, its scorching rays piercing through the broad leaves to strike the earth. The boy advanced deeper into the woods, battling the beasts that crossed his path.
When he returned to the plant, he carried a wild beast carcass in each hand. After pausing for a moment, he dropped one to the dirt and continued on his way.
"Tomorrow, I'll test my luck with the surrounding trees!"
Mel set his sights high. As he walked back toward his cavern, his gaze was fixed upon the towering trees left behind. Independent of the outside world, the interior of the cave maintained a constant temperature and a supply of pure air.
The moment he stepped inside, the boy drew a deep breath, casting off his clothes and sprinting toward the botanical garden.
With a sweep of his hand, two carcasses materialized among the blossoms; these were the bodies of the beasts he had slain during the day. In that instant, a rustling sound arose, and the bodies that struck the soil vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Wait, wait! Don't absorb them yet!"
Mel cried out in panic, but he was forced to watch everything unfold and conclude before he could even finish his sentence. Sitting bare on the earth, he began his meditation, seeking to commune with the plants whose energy he had not drawn upon for four days.
Barely a few seconds passed before the surface of the soil was veiled in emerald veins, surging toward Mel from every direction. There were no crimson veins of energy; aside from the slightly darker hue of certain energies, everything proceeded as expected.
"This is it! This is it!"
The frail boy roared, sprinting toward the martial chamber where the training dummies stood. The moment he entered, he launched his assault upon the targets, his left hand rising and falling.
Mel employed only his left hand, refusing to stop until he had battered his limb to the point where he could no longer lift it, having absorbed the energy of the cave's flora.
"I'm betting my whole day's harvest on this gamble. I hope it works like I imagine!"
Upon reaching the vast expanse of the cavern, he swept his right hand, releasing the beast carcasses from his ring into the midst of the plants.
As the blood of nearly ten lifeless bodies began to seep into the soil, he surrendered himself to the cool waters of the stream.
He was harnessing the restorative properties of the current. Closing his eyes, he allowed the waters to wash away the exhaustion of the day, cleansing both his body and his spirit.