Days passed like a blur as weeks went by, and there were only two days remaining for the trial to end.
For the last few weeks Alden had done nothing more than training, eating, and sleeping.
He had trained his body and mind to their limits daily, only resting when he couldn't train anymore.
The cave had become his second home, as it had many fruits he could eat, and most importantly, he could rest without worry of being attacked.
Alden hadn't stepped a foot outside of the cave in this time, focusing only on improvement.
He smiled as he muttered "Status," eager to see his progress.
==========[STATUS]=============
Mana Core - NOVICE (Intermediate)
The Eclipse Codex [Primordial Rank]
[Description: One of the three Primordial Rank tomes in the world. Its cultivation method unlocks the user's latent potential by balancing light and shadow, gradually granting them mastery over the rare Eclipse Element.]
[Current Phase - Moon Phase]
[Shadow Steps: Teleport a few meters between shadows. Requires shadows to exist in the target area.
Mastery: Novice (30%)
[Shadow Manipulation: Your control over shadows increases as you can manipulate shadows to your will.
Mastery - Novice (40%)]
======[STATS]=========
=======[ABILITIES]=======
1. Spirit Eyes (Unique)
[Description: Spirit Eyes are the eyes that can see the true essence of the world. Most of the effects are locked due to low user rank.]
[1. Weakness Detection (Active)
[2. Aura Detection (Active)
[3. Enhanced Perception (Passive)]
=============================
Alden's heart filled with pride as he scanned his status. His current status was quite an improvement from where he had started first.
He had finally broken through a minor rank in the last week.
His body felt lighter and stronger due to his improved stats. He could now crush stones with his bare hands.
His proficiency in Shadow Steps and Shadow Manipulation had increased by a lot too.
Now Alden could use Shadow Steps more efficiently, and he could jump through shadows more quickly and fluidly without feeling any disorientation. The range of his teleportation has also increased a bit from when he started.
As for Shadow Manipulation, it was the spell he trained the most in these days.
He could now control his shadow as an extension of himself, moving it as naturally as his own limbs.
Although other shadows posed a little challenge to him, he could still control the shadows of stationary objects without much strain on his mind.
But Shadow of Living beings? It was a whole other level of difficulty as the mana of living beings resisted his control.
Alden had come a long way from when he first stepped into the cave. But there was one crucial thing he was still lacking: his ability to apply these skills in real combat.
While training had sharpened his abilities, it had not tested them against a real opponent.
He knew he needed more than just theoretical mastery. He needed to test his strength in a real battle.
'A person cannot grow without conflict,' he thought as he wanted to test his strength against a living.
"I think I have the perfect candidate to be my sparring partner," Alden mused as he recalled the tortoise that had injured him on the first day of his trial. It was still out somewhere within the forest.
Alden gritted his teeth as he remembered the sorry state the tortoise had put him in when he had first arrived in the forest. But his expression was soon replaced by a chilling smile.
"It's only right to pay him back, isn't it?" He whispered in an ominous voice.
"Time to see if all this training pays off," Alden spoke, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.
_________________________
In an ominous dark forest, filled with darkness due to tall trees.
A creature was running for its life desperately. The creature looked similar to a rabbit with a sharp horn on its head, and its size was a lot bigger than a normal rabbit.
But something bigger than him, a tortoise, was chasing the rabbit with its slow pace as if not worried about its prey running from it.
The tortoise looked at the rabbit with a lazy eyes as it launched a spike from its shell.
The spike flew at a fast speed before piercing the rabbit.
The rabbit, without even having any chance to dodge, got impaled by a spike as it died on the spot.
The tortoise gazed at the prey it had just hunted as it crushed the remains of a small prey beneath its jaws, chewing lazily as if nothing in the world could disturb its peace.
For the tortoise, this forest was its domain. It had nothing to fear. Every creature knew better than to challenge it.
It had grown too accustomed to its status as the top predator.
The tortoise suddenly felt a shiver, feeling a foreboding sensation, but it soon dismissed the unease with a grunt. What could possibly pose a threat to it here?
Alden left the cave through the entrance as he was quickly greeted by the forest.
He looked behind to see the entrance only to only see the familiar ancient tree.
Alden started wandering the forest searching for the tortoise. It wasn't long before he spotted it, casually munching on its latest kill.
[Sub-Skill: Aura Detection Activated]
He soon activated one of the sub-skills of spirit eyes. The skill showed him the approximate power level of his enemy as well as the danger they posed.
As he looked at the tortoise, he roughly felt its strength being at a similar level to his.
The tortoise was exactly as Alden remembered it. Massive, with that unbreakable-looking shell.
He observed the tortoise for the perfect time to attack as he closed the distance between them slowly.
He had used shadow manipulation to coat his foot in his own shadow to avoid alerting it.
He couldn't do any fancy stuff yet, but this was enough for now.
The tortoise was busy with its eating, as it didn't even notice Alden coming closer to him.
Alden's heartbeat quickened as adrenaline surged through him.
The enemy that once seemed impossible to defeat now felt defeatable.
Alden quickly coiled shadows around his leg as he compressed them like a spring.
And with a burst of force, he propelled himself forward, his blade going straight towards the exposed leg of the tortoise.
Sensing the incoming attack, the tortoise quickly moved its body to the side.
The tortoise turned around to look at the perpetrator who dared to attack it in its domain.
The tortoise soon found the tiny human who had attacked it as it narrowed its eyes and let out a thunderous roar to let the puny human know his place.
"So you're tougher than you look, huh?" Alden muttered, tightening his grip on his sword as a wild grin spread across his face. "Good. This will be fun."