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Yuki prowled deeper into the forest, the embers of his recent battle still smoldering in his breath. The fight with the Ashfang Lizards had left his body stronger—his flames more focused, his instincts sharper. He felt it in every muscle, every breath. The forest had begun to accept him... or perhaps test him further.
Thick vines hung from twisted trees, forming a canopy so dense the sun barely filtered through. The air was heavier here, laced with the scent of damp earth and something… acrid.
Yuki slowed his pace. Something was watching.
His mana senses flared.
A blur moved in the mist.
Without thinking, Yuki rolled to the side as a whip-like appendage lashed through the space he'd occupied moments ago. It struck a tree, slicing through bark and biting deep into the wood.
From the shadows slithered a **Mist Serpent**—a sinuous beast cloaked in illusion. Its scales shimmered like fog under moonlight, and its fanged maw dripped with venom.
Yuki's eyes narrowed. *This isn't a wild attack. It's hunting me.*
The serpent lunged again, faster this time.
He met the strike head-on, fire bursting from his jaws—but it passed through mist. The real body darted to his left, jaws snapping at his flank.
**\[Flame Clad]** ignited around him in a radiant flare. The jaws clamped down, but the serpent recoiled, smoke rising from its mouth.
Using the opening, Yuki twisted, tail slamming into its side. The creature hissed, its body thrown against a tree.
But it recovered swiftly. It melted back into the fog, vanishing again.
Yuki crouched low, eyes scanning the haze.
*Its illusions are magic-based… then I need to see through them.*
He focused inward. Mana gathered behind his eyes, drawn by instinct.
> **Skill Awakening: \[Mana Sense Lv.1]**
The fog seemed to clear slightly. Not to his eyes—but to his mind.
There! A faint flicker of magic to his left—deeper than the mist.
He struck.
Flames roared, claws slashed, and the Mist Serpent screamed as his strike connected. The illusion shattered like glass, and its body writhed in pain.
Yuki didn't stop.
He lunged again, jaws locking onto its neck, flames pouring into the wound. The beast convulsed and finally went still.
He stood panting over the corpse.
> **Predator Core Analysis Complete. Skill Eligible: \[Mirage Cloak Fragment]**
> **Skill Fragment Stored. Synthesis Possible Upon Evolution.**
Another chime echoed.
> **\[Mana Sense Lv.1] integrated. Magic Perception threshold met.**
Yuki exhaled slowly. The world felt… quieter now. More vivid.
He could feel his soulspace stirring—whispers rising from the depths of his being. Power was gathering, slow and steady.
The forest still held countless dangers. But he had proven—again—that he could face them.
And win.
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