When he opened his eyes, an emerald radiance bloomed and dispersed throughout the cavern. He raised his left arm to inspect it. The superficial wounds had sealed; he flexed his fingers into a fist, confirming there were no lingering impediments.
"First you hurt yourself, then you heal and get stronger... isn't that a bit brutal?"
These words slipped from his lips as he stepped amidst the flora, his emphasis on "hurt yourself" reflecting the turbulent emotions within him.
"Let's see!"
He sat cross-legged on the dirt and, having allowed the wild beast carcasses to merge with the soil, attempted once more to draw energy from the plants. He had received no response during his previous attempt, but this time, veins of energy darker than normal emerald manifested.
The new energy emanated from specific plants; Mel deduced that these were the ones closest to the beast carcasses.
"Even the feeling is different; my theory was right. The plants fed by the beast carcasses can give way better energy!"
The smile on his face mirrored the thoughts racing through his mind, and in a brief span, he replenished his body with energy.
"Just one last test; I hope I run into some aggressive beasts!"
He dashed out of the cavern. When he reached his old companion, he found it had transformed into a tree several times the height of a grown man.
"One, two, three, four, five! Not bad, come out!"
As Mel called out, the exact number of beasts he had counted burst from the underbrush. The boy, with one hand resting upon the trunk of the tree, had detected their presence with ease.
"You'll help me out, right? This is my first time fighting so many beasts at once. Don't worry, they'll all be yours!"
Caressing the fresh bark of the tree, he stepped away, observing the beasts as they began to encircle him.
Hardly two breaths had passed before three of them launched their assault at once. One leapt into the air, while the other two lunged from opposite directions.
Without a trace of panic on his face, Mel waited, remaining motionless until he heard the crack of a branch descending upon the airborne beast. As the young tree struck the enemy passing its flank, Mel surged forward, colliding head-on with the beast charging from the front.
Thrusting his right hand forward to guard against the massive, jagged fangs, his left hand—tempered all day against the training dummies—descended upon the beast's skull in the form of the Dragon Claw. In the next instant, the adversary no longer possessed a head; as its lifeless body struck the earth, Mel delivered the killing blow to the wolf pinned beneath the branch.
Having eradicated two enemies in the blink of an eye, the boy did not pause; without even turning to face the beast approaching from his rear, he rolled to the right. The creature's strike met only empty air; in contrast, Mel, propelling himself with both legs, buried his Dragon Claws into the torso shielded by mottled gray fur.
"Three down, two to go!"
His eyes were not fixed upon his enemies; he spoke while looking at the young tree that had aided him. Harboring the energy of the flora nourished by the corpses of its kin, traces of confidence were evident in his movements.
"Come on!"
When he made a hand gesture conveying the same command, the enemies attacked side by side, seeking to leverage their numbers. With four claws descending at once, their tactic made sense, but they had neglected a crucial detail.
The young tree possessed more branches than all of them combined, and they lashed out like whips. Their formation shattered, the beasts were no match for Mel in close quarters; in a brief span, the number of carcasses on the earth reached five.
"Thanks, buddy. I didn't have to run away this time!"
Having slain five enemies in less than ten minutes, Mel rested his back against the young tree and began his meditation, this time without bothering to extract their beast cores. When two distinct variations of energy began to flow into his body, his eyes snapped open. He scrutinized both of his hands, murmuring to himself.
"The plants in the cave use the beasts as food to give way better energy, but these wild plants let me siphon the feral energy straight from the corpses. With every breath, I feel my hands getting stronger."
As he examined his hands, Mel realized he had overlooked something in the heat of the battle; the wound on the hand he had used to block the first beast's strike remained exactly as it was.
"The strengthening doesn't heal you; once I'm done here, I have to use the brews I made!"
Since it was the only tree to absorb the energy of five carcasses, the frail boy dedicated his afternoon to this endeavor. When he finally stood, he held the healing powder he had taken from the clay pot. After sprinkling it over the open wound, he covered it with a small cloth and drank the other brews he had emptied into his water skin.
"This is way too slow; I'm going to test my luck tonight!"
He did not hesitate to act upon his thoughts, planning to spend the night outside without straying too far from the cavern. He wandered until midnight but encountered no living creatures; although he spotted a few small animals, he had no intention of slaying any creature that did not attack him.
Mel ventured deeper, stepping beyond the perimeter he had drawn and advancing into territory he had never before set foot upon. He did not hesitate as he entered a valley that appeared in his path, walking with resolute steps toward the frigid winds blowing from within.
The valley was silent and serene, its towering slopes adorned with blossoms of a thousand hues. He could not tear his mesmerized gaze away until he reached the center, a state of awe that persisted until a succession of roars shattered the silence.
The atmosphere shifted in an instant; claws materialized amidst the dazzling flowers. He was surrounded not by beauty, but by savage beasts.
"Idiot! How did I walk right into this trap?"
Turning around to see a wall comprised entirely of wild beasts, Mel lamented his carelessness; his first night watch seemed destined to end in disaster.
When he turned back to the front, he noticed a horde several times larger than the one behind him. Furthermore, amidst them stood something different—a creature sporting a crimson coat, with a torso several times the size of an ordinary beast.
"Their leader is here; they waited for me to make sure I couldn't escape. But I'm not going to die. Not until I've claimed Grandpa's legacy!"
In an instant, he began to sprint back the way he came; his enemies charged toward him as well. He was caught in a pincer movement. Mel drove his assault toward the side with fewer numbers; forming both hands into Dragon Claws, he launched his first strike.
Lacking the time to employ intricate tactics, the boy met their claws with his bare hands; from the very first clash, lacerations appeared upon his flesh. As the beast was sent flying by the force of the blow, another followed, and then another.
With his arms, legs, and torso painted with crimson streaks, he shattered the barricade, fleeing toward the cavern amidst a furious howl. The presence of enemies pursuing him from all sides made it impossible to use the brews in his ring; he focused solely on swinging his claws and charging forward.
No matter how hard he fought, he could not avoid suffering a claw strike every two steps; sometimes minor grazes, sometimes deep wounds. As his breath grew ragged and his legs began to falter, the hot breath upon his neck multiplied; a massive claw, vast enough to envelop his torso, was about to descend upon his back.
When he closed his eyes and lunged forward, a deafening crash erupted; the claw meant for his back plunged into the earth, carving wide fissures. When Mel turned his head for a fraction of a second, he saw the tree obstructing his enemies with branches that lashed out like whips.
He had reached this place without even realizing it. He looked at the tree, then at the path leading to the cavern. He took a step to return, but in that moment, he came face-to-face with the crimson tempest. He crossed his arms before his chest; it was all he could do to brace against the assault shaped like the claw of a wild beast.
The frail boy was sent hurtling backward for several meters, propelled out of the enemy's range, but the tree with which he had forged his first bond was now subjected to the assault of hundreds.