Su Vaen stood in the midst of the untamed and untrained, his breathing serene as he stroked the arc of his sword.
Two months had passed since he had chosen to hone his power. No distractions.
No outside world. Only he, his sword, and the vast array of creatures that lived within the heart of the forest.
His Void Absorption ran on autopilot, drawing in the dense Tenebris Energy that enveloped him, refilling his tanks as he moved.
It wasn't unlimited, though—he could only handle a certain amount of pressure before his chassis would crack under it. He had to labor his energy in and out.
His Dimensional Perception faltered, a twitch of knowledge through his head.
Something was coming.
A Crimson-Tusked Boar burst out of the bushes, its eyes burning with territorial fury. It was a Qi Refining Realm peak-stage beast, its huge body charging at him like a boulder knocked off a mountain.
Su Vaen did not move until the very last moment.
In a single motion, he activated Tenebris Reinforcement, his muscles pumping with dark power. A blur of movement and he parried the charge as the boar's tusks screeched past where his ribs once were. His sword swooped in smooth curve—Slash of Nightfall!
A black blade of Tenebris Energy burst out of his sword, slicing the boar's tough hide. The beast howled, hashing on its hooves before another desperate charge.
"Not bad," Su Vaen gasped. "But not enough."
For once, he didn't avoid. Instead, he attacked Shadow Veil, vanishing out of the beast's line of sight. The boar slipped to a stop, confused. In that fraction of a moment, Su Vaen reemerged—on top of it.
Tenebris Reinforcement!
A burst of darkness flooded his sword as he drove it into the creature's head. The crash was deafening. The creature thrashed before collapsing, its lifeblood coloring the earth.
One down. Several more to go.
---
As weeks went by, Su Vaen stalked quietly with intent, pushing his limits against all sorts of foul predators.
A Twin-Tailed Razorcat, with his streamlined form and heightened agility pushing him to reduce his movements to a streamlined blur. A Burrowing Viper, striking from beneath, pushing him to increase his sensitivity and his reaction times.
He was getting stronger. He could feel it. His control of Slash of Nightfall, to lengthen the range of his sword using Tenebris Energy more efficiently.
Shadow Veil functioned more efficiently, so he could blink in and out of sight in battle.
The sun lay down on the horizon as he fought his toughest adversary to date—a Stage 1 Foundation Establishment Realm monster, much more powerful than all the previous ones he'd battled.
Its dark fur had blended with the darkness, and its otherworldly red eyes glared at him as if it looked directly into his very soul.
Su Vaen exhaled.
This was what he had desired.
He smiled, rose to his feet, pulling out his sword.
"Come."
And the battle resumed anew.