“I see. I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” Geon responded, but Roy had already taken up his cultivating pose, so he went silent.
Sitting here, on the seeming edge of the world, Roy felt more at peace than he ever had. The sound of the waves lulled him into an extremely relaxed state and he was able to pull in all the available Power Essence he could handle, refining it down each time his core filled.
He’d filled his core nearly halfway, when he suddenly heard Geon talk in his mind, ruining his concentration.
“I hate to interrupt your cycling, but there are some Beasts headed this way. Just thought you ought to know.”
13
Roy’s eyes snapped open at that, and he was on his feet in an instant, eyes scanning the darkening beach for any sign of movement. It wasn’t at all hard to see the Beasts once he was actually paying attention. In fact, he would have had to be practically blind to miss the three-foot-tall shining red crustaceans scuttling towards him.
How had he missed that before?
The answer was abundantly clear. He’d been concentrating on cultivating and cycling Essence. He’d been so focused on it, that he’d shut down his perception. It was a good thing he had Geon with him. Otherwise, he’d be very not alive right now.
“Thanks for the warning, I will not fail this way again,” Roy said to the Dungeon Core, feeling his old sense of inadequacy rearing its ugly head.
“It was a mistake, but there’s no need to beat yourself up over it,” Geon answered as Roy readied himself to fight. “That clan must really have done a number on you. We’re going to have to work on your sense of self-worth. There’s nothing more dangerous to a Martial Artist than a lack of confidence.”
Roy felt just a bit better after hearing those words. It gave him the confidence he’d lacked thus far, and he used that confidence to push down the fear that had been slowly mounting as the crustaceans drew closer.
He extended his senses outward, sweeping over the area and the massive domed Beasts now only twenty feet from him. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that Geon had been right about the advancement levels of the Beasts in here. Both of the creatures were at the White stage, the same as him.
That still didn’t guarantee him a victory. There were two of them, and while he was taller, they were bulkier and way better protected. They also each had a massive clawed appendage that glowed with blue Water Essence to his senses. If he guessed correctly, it would increase the cutting power of those claws exponentially- a Physical technique. There was also the chance that they could use a body enhancement, meaning that they could, in theory, dodge every single one of his attacks.
For a moment, he debated using his own, as of yet perfected, body enhancement. It would allow him to escape, but it would also drain his core completely. He shook himself, firming his resolve. If he ran from a fight with two Beasts at his own level, how would he fare if he had to face down something stronger? He would be running for the rest of his life.
Now was the time to test himself. He’d succeeded against a towering golem made of Power Essence in the trials. Granted, he had almost died, and had it not been for the mercy of an unknown stranger, he would not be here right now, but still, there was no way these Beasts were tougher than that golem.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Roy ran forward, feeling his bare feet sinking into the sand as he picked up speed. The crab-like Beasts hissed at him and sped up as well, scuttling forward on spindly legs.
It was hard to concentrate on his breathing technique while running, but Roy did it, cycling Power Essence to his hands and feet. Over the last few days, through trial and error, he’d discovered that refined Essence was far more easily controlled than unrefined Essence. He could still control it, but more in the sense that it would hurt others more than himself if aimed in the right direction.
He did not yet have the capacity or skill to form unrefined Power Essence into a technique. However, his core was brimming with the Essence he’d refined over the last few days, and whatever he’d managed to cultivate in his short time here. The stable Essence flowed easily through his channels, and within a mere second, was coating both his hands and feet. He had to be careful to cut off the flow quickly, as it would continue building and drawing from his core until he was unable to control it.
It still wasn’t a proper technique of any kind, but it was as close to one as he could manage in the short amount of time he’d had so far. Over the next few weeks, he’d have to work on developing a more solid understanding of the Essence, as well as exactly what he wanted his technique to do. For now, though, it did exactly what he needed.
Roy ducked the swinging claw of the crab on the left, then slammed his glowing right fist onto the top of its shell. There was an audible crack, then an explosion of force as the golden Essence surrounding his fist discharged into the tough shell. The crab shrieked as it was driven to the ground, a line of cracks spreading across its domed shell.
Roy’s attack didn’t penetrate, and he was forced to quickly backpedal as the other crab’s claw swished through the air, mere inches from his face. His heart was racing, and adrenaline flooded his body as he charged forward once again. The second crab had scuttled around the still prone form of the first, the blue glow around its claw intensifying as it prepared an attack.
Increasing his pace even more, Roy employed the same tactic he’d used on the golem. It worked much better this time as well, as he was fighting on the sand, which was a lot easier to slide on than cobblestone. Thrusting his feet forward, he dropped to his back, sliding under the swiping blue claw. His slide took him right between the legs of the creature, and Roy took the opportunity to kick upward with both legs.
The maneuver had been more luck than anything else, but Roy wasn’t about to squander his opportunity. Roy had once read that the legs were three times as strong as the arms. That was due to having to support his body weight and carry him around. Now, he got to witness that first hand. Both of his Essence-coated feet slammed into the fragile underbelly of the oversized crab and discharged at the same time.
The effect was both devastating and disgusting. The crab practically exploded as the Power Essence blew its shell apart, coating Roy in a mix of blood and guts. He gagged, feeling bile rising in his throat as the creature fell on top of him and the stench of it hit his nostrils.
“Ouch, that does not look pleasant,” Geon commented unhelpfully.
Grunting with the effort, Roy shoved the heavy crab off himself. He was quickly forced to roll to the side as a claw came racing for his head. He wasn’t fast enough to completely avoid the attack and hissed in pain as it sliced into the outer portion of his right arm, leaving a bloody furrow in its wake.
The upside of his roll was that it brought him within striking distance of the crab’s beady black eyes. His glowing left fist, the only attack he hadn’t used yet, slammed right into its tiny head, bursting it like an overripe tomato. This time, he did throw up, just managing to roll onto his chest before he emptied the contents of his stomach right on the sand before him.
His entire body shuddered as he heaved, panting for air. He felt sick. His head was spinning and he couldn’t get enough air into his lungs. He’d just nearly been killed! He wasn’t sure why it was hitting him so hard now. He’d nearly died several times during the trials, and Koya had left him for dead just a few days prior, so why was this time any different?