Chapter 34 – Rule of the jungle
Jin moved like a shadow among trees, footsteps light, breath steady.
The Forest of No Return stretched endlessly before him, roots rising like twisted bones and strange cries echoing through the underbrush. The air was thick with danger, but Jin's gaze remained focused. His soul scanned every shift in elemental essence, every flicker of presence.
It had been hours since he entered, and so far, nothing had attacked.
Too quiet, he thought, narrowing his eyes.
That's when he noticed something.
A faint glint on his right hand—subtle, nearly invisible. A ring.
His brows furrowed.
That wasn't there before.
He held up his hand. The ring pulsed faintly with energy. Curious, Jin tapped its surface.
In a blur of light, the ring shifted—unfolding and elongating with a whisper of metal.
A sword.
Jin blinked, surprised. The weapon was beautiful—slender, elegant, forged in a silver-gray hue that shimmered faintly with elemental essence. It was perfectly balanced in his grip.
A rare smile played on his lips.
"The old man really did leave me a gift," he muttered.
But his smile vanished a moment later.
The blade suddenly emitted a pulse—a deep, resonant aura that rolled outward like a bell toll. Jin instinctively knew what it meant.
Beasts had felt it.
He cursed, voice sharp and low. "Old bastard…"
And miles away, seated on a boulder beneath a lone pine, the old man smirked faintly. As if the words had tickled his ears, he allowed himself a brief chuckle… before wiping it off his face with a shrug.
He'll survive. Or he won't.
Back in the forest, Jin tucked the blade into his back and vanished into the thickets.
For hours, he moved without aim, letting instinct guide him away from where he sensed increasing elemental disturbance. Despite that, the ring's residual aura made it hard to go unnoticed.
Eventually, he stumbled into a dense glade cloaked in mist and heard the faint rustle of leaves—followed by silence so complete it made the hairs on his neck rise.
Jin paused.
Then, it came.
A blur of white and gray leapt from the canopy above, claws flashing like daggers.
Jin dodged instinctively, water essence gathering beneath his feet. His form slipped sideways like liquid, a movement born from months of honing the Flowing Drift Step—a basic but essential water technique.
The beast landed.
It was a mid-stage Initiate Realm leopard, muscles rippling with every twitch, its eyes glowing a dangerous amber. Sleek. Fast. Lethal.
And already circling him.
It's aiming for my throat, Jin realized immediately. No hesitation. Each strike is a kill shot.
The beast lunged again.
Jin rolled away, calling upon Wind Needle, sending sharp blasts of compressed wind at the beast's flank. It evaded with minimal effort, twisting mid-air like water. Its tail flicked, almost mockingly.
Jin exhaled slowly, keeping calm. He wasn't here to burn everything with fire. He wanted to learn.
He kept using water for defense, wind for offense—his wind strikes fast but his movement still lagged. The leopard's grace was intoxicating, its control of momentum far superior to Jin's current wind mastery.
Strike.
Dodge.
Rip.
Swipe.
Blood traced a line across his cheek as he barely avoided the next lunge. His breathing grew heavier. His water essence slowed.
He was losing rhythm.
But his eyes gleamed. He was studying it.
How does it pivot so quickly? How does it bend its spine like that…?
He was trying to mimic it.
Again, the leopard darted in. Jin sidestepped, wind gathering beneath his feet as he mimicked the animal's spin—but a moment too late.
Claws raked his shoulder, drawing blood.
His back slammed against a tree trunk, breath knocked out.
The leopard didn't pause. It pounced again.
"Dammit—!" Jin hissed, and Flowing River activated.
A wall of water surged from beneath him, slamming the beast sideways mid-leap. The impact bought him a second of breathing room.
That technique… saved me. He clutched his shoulder, pain sharpening his focus.
His gaze hardened.
Only then did it dawn on him.
This beast isn't toying with me—it's trying to kill me.
The thought struck like lightning, but instead of fear… a strange stillness washed over him.
His heart firmed.
The chaos inside his soul stilled.
Killing intent. Subtle. Raw. Brewing deep within.
"Kill or be killed, huh?" he muttered darkly.
Jin stood, wiped the blood from his lips, and called upon the wind essence more deeply than before.
This time, he wouldn't mimic the beast. He'd become the storm.
He whispered, "Dance of Zeus."
The wind around him shifted—no longer sharp blasts but a swirling ballet of currents. His body lightened, feet barely touching the ground.
The leopard growled, crouching for another leap.
Too late.
Jin vanished from its sight.
He reappeared behind it, then to its left, then right.
His form blurred.
Wind carried him in arcs around the beast, his movements now smooth, fluid, fast.
Each motion was accompanied by a strike. A palm. A kick. A chop.
The leopard turned to counter—too slow.
Jin's final blow struck its spine with force wrapped in wind essence. The beast staggered forward, let out a strangled growl, then collapsed.
Dead.
Jin stood there, chest rising and falling. Sweat beaded his brow. Blood stained his robe.
But he didn't falter.
A moment later, a dim glimmer caught his eye. Nestled within the beast's chest was a small, faintly glowing core—likely its elemental essence crystallized in death.
He crouched and picked it up.
It was dull, not particularly valuable, but worth storing.
He pressed it to his ring. It vanished with a pulse of silver light.
Then he sat down beside the beast's corpse, rubbing his sore shoulder.
He glanced up at the sky breaking through the trees.
"So this is what it means to fight a real battle," he whispered.
A strange calm washed over him.
He was changing.
The forest wasn't just sharpening his senses—it was reshaping his soul.
I'll tame a late-stage beast one day, he vowed silently, and ride it through the skies.
But for now…
This was just the beginning.
He stood.
The forest rustled again.
And Jin walked deeper into the unknown.