Zatiel was making his way deeper into the Endless Forest, the shadows lengthening around him as the towering trees grew denser. Moss-covered roots rose like serpents from the ground, forcing him to weave his path with practiced ease. Somewhere behind him, far enough to stay out of sight but close enough to never lose track, pursuers moved.
He didn't need to see them to know. The faint ripple of energy in the air told him all he needed.
The strongest are after me. The rest won't trouble little EZ. Careful… cautious… but not clever enough to hide from me forever.
Though their numbers had thinned since leaving the tower, Zatiel could sense that their overall strength hadn't diminished. Spells to mask their presence shimmered faintly in the distance, but their leader—Arthur—kept his signature tightly wrapped, taking no risks.
Zatiel wasn't concerned. At some point, their caution would end. And when it did, they'd be standing in front of him.
He kept his pace steady, avoiding unnecessary noise. The deeper reaches of the Endless Forest were home to magical creatures of every size and temperament, many of them as dangerous as seasoned Rank 3 Apprentices. His mission target lay well within the forest's periphery—thousands of kilometers in circumference—and he estimated five days to reach it without unnecessary detours.
Five days at this pace… enough time to practice.
A shimmer of power rippled around him, and then chains of blackened metal began to manifest in the air, their arrow-like tips glowing faintly with Abyss Aura. They appeared and vanished in precise bursts as he trained, each chain responding to the micro-adjustments of his mind. The spell—Abyssal Chains—was notoriously complex, but Zatiel's Neo-Demon bloodline made refining his control almost instinctive.
Hours later, the ambient energy of the forest thickened. The creatures here were stronger now, many of them capable of tearing apart weaker magi. Zatiel moved like a shadow through the undergrowth, neither disturbing the ground too much nor catching the attention of the more territorial beasts.
That was when he saw it—an Earth Rhino.
Three meters tall at the shoulder, its hide was like solid stone, every step pressing deep cracks into the soil. It was a walking fortress, immune to most physical attacks and notoriously difficult to kill without high-level magic. It couldn't cast spells, but brute strength and its natural armor made it a nightmare for most Rank 2 Apprentices.
Perfect for a test.
Zatiel didn't bother reaching for his sword. He simply stepped into its path and waited.
The rhino's small eyes locked on him. It gave a guttural roar, the vibration shaking nearby branches, and pawed at the earth in a display meant to intimidate. But the creature's instincts were sharp—it recognized something in this human's stance that wasn't normal. Instead of charging immediately, it tried to frighten him off.
Zatiel didn't move.
The Earth Rhino made its choice. Lowering its head, it charged. The ground quaked beneath its weight, clods of dirt flying as it gathered terrifying speed.
At twenty meters, Zatiel's eyes sharpened. His Abyss Aura flared, and four chains burst into existence, streaking through the air with lethal speed.
The rhino's instincts screamed at it to dodge, but momentum was its prison. The first chain punched deep into its throat, nearly half a meter in. The second smashed into the base of its neck, fracturing the thick vertebrae. Pain exploded through the beast, but its charge continued.
The final two chains lanced into its ears, driving through to the brain. The rhino bellowed in agony, staggering as blood and dark ichor spilled down its face.
Still, it reached him.
Let's see how much I've improved.
Zatiel shifted his stance and gathered all his physical power into his fist.
When his blow met the rhino's skull, the impact thundered through the clearing. The collision hurled Zatiel six meters back, his boots gouging trenches in the soil before he came to a stop. Pain flared in his arm—bone fractures.
The rhino fared far worse. The force had crushed part of its skull into a fist-shaped crater, hurling its massive body three meters into the air before it crashed to the ground in a heap.
Zatiel rolled his shoulder once, flexing the injured arm. That punch… enough to cripple even a Pseudo-Magus with body-refinement training. And I only took fractures. He could feel the residual force of the rhino's momentum in that blow—it had added to the test nicely.
Now came the second experiment.
Let's see how Abyss Regeneration performs.
Dark energy pooled in his core before flooding into his injured arm. Within seconds, the fractures began to knit. In under a minute, the bones were whole again. Passive regeneration was already strong in a Neo-Demon's body, but channeling Abyss Aura accelerated the process dramatically.
Once healed, he moved to the carcass. With a few swift cuts, he removed the heart—the richest source of nutrition and power in the creature. The rest was left behind; lingering here was an invitation for scavengers.
Zatiel climbed into the branches of a nearby tree, the massive heart skewered on a length of sharpened wood. A small flame spell charred the outer layer before he bit into it, tearing through muscle and cartilage. The energy surged into him immediately, his Chaotic Core drinking in the essence to strengthen itself.
Night was falling, and though his enhanced vision made darkness trivial, navigating the forest's tangled terrain at night was wasteful. Losing his bearing could cost him time—and in this place, time was risk.
He closed his eyes but didn't sleep. His awareness expanded outward, subtle and constant, feeling for the faintest disturbance.
Three days into his journey, his path was littered with the remains of magical beasts. Most were collected for components, some consumed for essence. Every encounter became a training opportunity for Abyssal Chains.
That afternoon, he faced a Raging Hyena—a predator infamous for its speed and relentless attack patterns. Even some Pseudo-Magi avoided fighting them without preparation. It weaved between his chains with fluid agility, snapping and lunging for openings.
But overconfidence was its downfall. The moment it committed to a frontal pounce, Zatiel slipped into Shadow Form.
He vanished.
The hyena's eyes darted wildly, too late. Zatiel reappeared at its flank, his sword already cutting a clean, lethal line across its throat. The beast collapsed without a sound.
He knelt, extracted the organs and claws worth keeping, and left the rest for the forest to reclaim.
By evening, the constant low hum of Arthur's group in the background had become familiar. That's why the change was immediate and unmistakable.
"They've stopped."
The faint thread of presence he'd been tracking—gone.
Three days of tailing me just to vanish? Not likely. They've confirmed whatever they were after. Now they move to the next phase.
He didn't change his expression. Instead, he pulled the hyena's heart from his pouch, skewered it, and began to roast it over a small flame, the scent mingling with the earthy air. To anyone watching, he looked entirely unconcerned.