Chapter 34: Predator
"This.... is..... to much haaaaa" I managed to say while puffing air out of my lungs. I was extremely short of breath and sweating profusely. I haven't even moved a muscle, yet it feels like I've been fighting for my life for days.
I don't even know how much time has passed, but I already want it to end. This training wasn't only about my sense, it was for my mind as well.
The amount of dark thoughts appearing was absurd, sounds that should only happen in a warzone are constantly sounding out. It was like I was in a battlefield, yet I knew I was just in some forest.
One moment I can hear the sound of wind blowing then the next it was the whispers of the people I've killed in the past giving me their pleas.
I couldn't tell which was real or fake sending my body into a constant state of anxiety. I released bloodlust when I shouldn't have and even forgot the number of animals I managed to spot.
I was praying my instructor would give me my food so I could at least ask how much time has passed, I wanted to know how much longer I had to suffer.
"RUSTLE" "RUSTLE"
My ears managed to pick up the sound of rustling bushes which made me use my Ki to the max. The areas of which my Ki was used were my ears as well as my nose. Throughout my time here I believed these two areas were the most important.
I couldn't pinpoint the exact distance from where the sound was made, but my guess was over 200 yards. As for the direction, it was directly behind me almost as if it the creature was lining up to my spine.
I tried to see if the creature gave off any smell, but it didn't. All my nose could pick up was the smell of grass and wood.
'Strange, I don't sense bloodlust yet I feel like I'm in danger. Why though? There isn't any wildlife that can even come close to touching me so why do I feel scared?' I said to myself while grabbing my thigh, for some reason my leg was shaking.
'No somethings wrong..... but what's my problem? Have I reached a breaking point? No that's impossible, I should be much stronger than this....right?' I sounded confused in my own thoughts. This forest has led to me questioning my own strength.
"SWISH" "SWISH"
'... Another sound that shouldn't be here. This time it's a sword cutting through the air huh. The odd part is I can tell which way the imaginary sword cut.....' I said in my mind as I placed my other hand across my neck.
Although my thoughts were in scrambles trying to find the problem, I had not once let my guard down and kept searching for the creature.
My Ki was getting drained, but this was something I was used to. You cannot constantly use Ki as it will drain, leaving you with none of it left. However, if you stop using it when your reserves hit about 50 percent it can regenerate back quickly. For me, this process only takes about 5 minutes which has made me quite advanced in utilizing Ki.
If you go below this reserve, it will take quite a while longer to regenerate back. The reason being is Ki uses itself to regenerate, this only applies to humans though.
In the files that I read it stated that humans actually have an organ to help the regeneration process while other races do not.
Although I was currently feeling physically drained because of that, it seemed like my body was trying to throw in the towel. Still, I couldn't stop since I needed to find the creature. This is training, I have to push myself to the limit while my life isn't on the line.
I waited and waited, more than 10 minutes have gone by and finally I picked up the creatures odor. It was a deer, they actually have quite a unique smell, so they are easy to discover by odor.
After I spotted the little fuck, I sent every ounce of bloodlust to it making it dash further away from me.
As it was sprinting through the woods, I stopped using my Ki making my body feel relieved. My body was feeling better, but the feeling of fear still stayed making me once again alert.
'I shouldn't use Ki, I'll have to manage with just my normal sensing ability. The fact that I'm still scared though is really throwing me off. Is there perhaps another animal nearby?' I asked myself trying to think of what could possibly do this to me.
I decided to go against my instructor's word and used mana. I slowly let go of my shaking thigh and put my palm to the ground then sent out a mana pulse.
I tried to feel everything connected to ground including the trees. Some animals are able to climb trees so I couldn't leave those unchecked. As I started to hit 400 yards, I had noticed that one of the trees had something on it.
'What is that? A hand perhaps? Hmm I can definitely sense fingers, but only humans have those. Could it be my instructor maybe?'
I had figured out it was a hand, but the odd part was I could only sense the hand and nothing else. I can tell by the hand's location that the thing is definitely standing on a branch, but I couldn't sense its entire body.
'The location of that tree is also throwing me off..... It's in a perfect sniping position.... That thing has a perfect shot for my upper body and considering how high in the air it is not many branches are in its way. Wait... why would they choose a position like that? Sniper bullets can easily penetrate mere branches without changing the bullets trajectory, shouldn't they have gone lower to provide more cover as to not get spotted?
Thats what every sniper is taught, so then why are they so high up? Maybe this this is just an animal? No it can't be, only humans have hands..... Damn let me try to sense its aura.'
I removed my palm from the ground, but I left my pointer finger there and tilted it towards that things position. Doing so simply focused my sensing ability being able to give more information on that thing and its location. Instead of a big circle it's more like a road that leads right to it.
After getting a clear straight path to it I was finally able to sense its entire body, as well as its energy levels.
'Hmmmm no its definitely not my instructor since this being is taller, but wait... what the fuck are those energy levels? How can a human have such a high mana capacity with so little Ki.... Wait isn't that impossible for a human?
Oh no.. please no, please tell me I'm wrong....'
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