Chapter 19 - Easy, right?

Jiran’s eyes snapped wide open as his window rattled. First Father had yet to make an appearance, leaving the world washed in bleak darkness.

Overwhelmed with anticipation to practice his new skill, Jiran hopped out of bed and dressed in the dark.

Not wanting to disturb anyone, he snuck out of the manor without lighting a lamp and walked to his favorite meditation spot near the creek.

After sitting down, he brought up the description of the skill again and double-checked Molding for any changes. Finding nothing, he took a deep breath and tried to activate the new skill.

“Mana Expansion.”

Nothing happened.

Uhh. What? Shouldn't it do something? Okay, I'll try Molding and see what's different.

“Molding.”

He felt the slight pressure in his brain that traveled down to his chest and connected with his mana. The energy spread smoothly through his body for a few minutes before returning to his chest once more.

It’s exactly the same as before except a little smoother but that’s probably because it’s level fifty now.

He used a trickle of his excitement to connect with his mana which flowed easily, as it always did.

He felt nothing new. No breakthroughs or changes in any way.

Maybe I can concentrate more in one spot, nope. Move it faster? Nope, no change there either.

Those are definitely restrictions but the new sub-skill doesn’t seem to be affecting them.

What the heck does this stupid skill do?

It’s called mana expansion. Maybe the name is a clue.

Jiran took control of his mana once more and spread it through his body. With a deep breath, he pushed outwards. As it had every time before, when the mana reached just beneath his skin, it hit an impassable wall.

Not wanting to give up immediately, Jiran pushed a little harder and the wall flexed ever so slightly.

A huge grin split his face as he applied more and more pressure, yet still, he was unable to break through.

He changed tactics and concentrated as much mana as he could into the smallest portion of his arm it would fit into. This time he was able to apply much more pressure and an itching pain accompanied the feeling of that impassable wall being breached.

With his mana now coating the outside of his forearm, the world opened up to him in a way he had never experienced before.

Jiran marveled at the taste of the air. It tasted like flecks of glitter, each with its own unique flavor, that landed on his mana by the thousands every second.

The dampness in the air and the soft breeze that touched his skin was a pale comparison to the writhing and undulating ocean of sensations that peppered his mana coating.

Is mana actually a sensory organ like the eye or nose? It makes sense, no pun intended. I’ve always been able to feel the inside of my body through my mana. Now that it’s outside feeling the air, it’s so much clearer.

Jiran rubbed his arm and felt the soft mana with his fingertips. It was smooth and resilient, like glass. Yet, it became malleable with no more than a thought.

Distracted like a child sticking a new thing in his mouth for the first time, Jiran was completely unaware of the densoon wave that approached him.

Because he was sitting, the wave didn’t knock him over even though it pushed him into the ground. A small grunt of effort escaped his lips as he sat up straight in the waterfall of pressure.

The grunt was followed by a gasp of disbelief as the sensations from his mana coating interacted with the densoons energy registered in his brain.

The density in the air crashed against his coating. It roiled, churned, and bucked like an untamed stallion. There was something else there too, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.  It seemed as if the density oscillated at different frequencies that shifted channels constantly.

A whispered voice broke Jiran’s spell of concentration, bringing him back to the world that existed outside of his mana’s sensory abilities.

“Let’s go,” Samris spoke into the morning twilight before he passed Jiran his spear and took off at a jog toward the forest edge.

When Jiran caught up to his slow pace, Samris spoke while increasing his speed until Jiran could barely keep up.

“Beasts dislike leaving their dens during densoon. Our options are to either lure them out or assault their territories directly. The latter should only be pursued when you are confident your tier exceeds that of your prey.”

“How am I supposed to know when I’m a higher tier?”

“All beasts follow similar patterns. The strongest will hold the central breeding grounds while their weaker brethren range the periphery. If you encounter a tier three at the edge of a forest then expect to find tier fives at its heart.”

“What if I find a wandering beast in the woods, how would I know when it's safe to fight and when I should run?”

Samris released a rare bark of laughter.

“If you’re still alive to think, then you should fight. If the beast is a higher tier than you, your death will come before you have a chance to blink, let alone consider running.”

“Oh,” Jiran responded as he considered how dangerous it must be for ascendants who chose to embark into the wilds to tier.

They passed through their usual training glade where Samris led him through several stretches before they continued deeper into the woods.

“Through the fourth tier, it’s not as dangerous as you might expect, Jiran. No group would dare explore unknown territories without hiring a guard to accompany them. It is also common practice for higher tiers to sweep known hunting grounds clear of beasts beyond a certain level.

They continued the rest of the way in silence, only stopping for densoon waves until they eventually arrived at a large hill with few trees. Samris nodded toward a rocky ledge and the surrounding dirt-covered landscape.

“We will be renovating this area into our new training ground. But first, you will clear it of beasts. Your first target is there,” Samris pointed.

Jiran warily approached the direction Samris indicated. He heard the beast’s frenzied foraging before he saw it. The beast was raking up bliffrooms from beneath the dead leaves that covered the ground. It had thick fur and a body reminiscent of a wolverine.

https://imgur.com/9bJ45LF 

He approached the beast from behind. It remained unaware of his presence allowing him a chance to study its movements.

It doesn’t look very fast, but it can probably change directions quickly. Okay, a wolverine the size of a small bear. I’ve got this, easy, no problem at all.

Samris appeared beside him and waved his hand in the air creating a shimmering wave of energy in the air that reflected sound. Jiran instinctively jerked back from the translucent, wavering wall of force before realizing it was some kind of skill or technique.

Curiosity quickly took hold and he moved in for a closer look, running his hand along the wall as Samris spoke.

“Caution is the hallmark of every successful hunter, Jiran. It seems your lessons are bearing fruit. That beast is far more powerful than the tier ones you faced previously. I shall act as your shield while you strike from the rear.”

Something inside Jiran recoiled at the idea of receiving help from Samris before he even tried to face the beast on his own.

Hubris? What makes me think I’m better than every other hunter in the empire? No, that doesn’t sound right. I just want to win. I don’t want to stab something that’s pinned down and helpless. I want to fight, struggle, and win. Even if I’m reduced to a bloody and broken pulp again, I would rather have a real fight.

It’s just pain, and I know all about pain.

Jiran swallowed nervously but when he spoke, his voice was firm.

“I’m going to fight it alone,” Before Samris could talk him out of it, he walked through the wall of force.

I need to hit it with everything I’ve got right from the start. If it’s not heavily injured in the first exchange, I don’t stand a chance. It’s too big, maneuverable, and resilient for me to win in a back-and-forth with nothing but a spear.

Jiran grimaced at the thought of how hard he would need to push his Forcing. There was no doubt in his mind that he would damage his bones and the delicate tissues that connected them to his muscles.

Then a thought that was so obvious he wanted to kick himself popped into his head. With a devilish grin, he charged at the beast, pushing mana through his body to reinforce his muscles in an effort to increase his speed to the maximum.

The giant wolverine instantly took notice of the boy charging its rear. It flipped around in the blink of an eye, proving to Jiran how correct he had been about its mobility.

Its feet only touched the ground for a second before it was bounding forward in a predatory lope. The creature's eyes shone with a malicious hatred that could never be sated. Its lips pulled back into a rictus full of deadly fangs that sought only to devour his blood.

Jiran grabbed hold of the knot of emotions that was foolish enough to insist he fight the beast alone and hammered it toward the ball of mana in his chest. The magical energy leaped in response to his call, flowing through his arms to coat both his hands in casts of rock-hard energy.

He activated Forcing to grab hold of the casts, instead of his delicate bones, and hurtled himself through the air at four times the speed he had been running.

The sudden acceleration caught it off guard. The beast was speared through the top of its shoulder at the height of its bouncing stride. The spear didn’t stop after piercing the tough muscle. It continued unabated through its chest until connecting with the spine somewhere in its stomach.

Jiran never let go of the spear, with its length pushed so far through the beast's body, their faces were centimeters apart.

A boy grinned maniacally in defiance of a world that insisted he be weaker than his foes, while a beast screamed in pain from a spear impaling it from shoulder to stomach.

https://imgur.com/jRjqkaZ 

The bearverine outweighed him by several times, but when the two collided midair, it was Jiran’s Forcing that prevailed. The two rocketed through the air until slamming into a tree where the spear finally completed its passage through the beast, pinning it to the tough wood.

A claw swinging in animalistic panic connected with Jiran’s shoulder. It sent him crashing to the ground where he bounced several meters away before coming to a groaning rest.

One of his eyes refused to open. His left arm was hanging limp and that entire side of his body was only giving off a numbing tingle. With his one good eye, he glared at the monster while standing on shaky legs.

The beast thrashed weakly but remained pinned in place as Jiran approached. He watched it carefully. Specifically, he observed its powerful muscles constricting beneath the skin.

Where does the thrust begin, Jiran?

When he was within reach, the beast swung its claw, coated in his own blood.

Jiran easily ducked out of the way. With its range of motion and muscles restricted, avoiding the strike became child's play.

His punch connected with the monster's jaw in a lightning-fast strike that Jiran couldn't follow. The mental commands to use Forcing came in rapid succession as the cast coating his forearm and hand rained mighty blows upon the creature.

Within seconds, its skull was a mushy pulp that oozed brain matter onto the forest floor. Jiran gave it one more punch for good measure before falling to his back. He stared through the leaf-thick boughs above at the rapidly reddening sky.

“See, easy.”

He turned his head to the side as a cough turned into a splatter of blood. He heard Samris’s footfalls and soon the man stood above him, looking down with a complicated expression.

“I have never been so excited to pass off the teaching of a student to another. Your mentor cannot arrive soon enough.”