The First One Of The Cosmos -OLD VERSION-

Chapter 8 - Drenched In Blood

Immediately after waking up, I put on my armour, collected my bag and rushed out the door.
I took out the map, only to realise I was running in the wrong direction. Correcting myself, I weaved between the crowds of nymphs and other humanoid species I had never seen before. It wasn't long before I reached the far Eastern clearing past the edge of the city.

Priscinus was already there waiting for me, along with a couple of the nymph soldiers who were training to pass the time.
"Have you prepared yourself, Saarl? This will be tough."
"I'm ready for anything."
"Then we shall begin."

I thought that my training would consist of more rigorous methods, like combat against high level monsters, but instead, Priscinus insisted that I have to raise my stats through other methods first. I had already gotten a few combat centric passive skills that raised my stats, but you can get them through various other jobs as well. I started off with leveling my craftsmanship skill to master by making and fixing some of the broken furniture around the city. It also gave the locals a better impression of me after I helped them out.

After doing chores all around the kingdom for a couple days, I had acquired quite a few more skills. I also wrote down all of the information about monster species and other things that I learnt with the Eye of Truth in a book, earning me the scholar skill. But it looked like leveling that one up would take a while, so I kept it at the amateur stage.

With my stats increased, it was time to move on to the next segment of my training.
The patrol guard I first met was going to be overseeing my physical combat training. We separated before she got to introduce herself to me. Her name was Sycara.
"Saarl, the monsters you will be fighting from now on are far more powerful than what you have battled before. I will be waiting to step in if the situation takes a turn for the worse."
"I just hope that nothing too bad will happen."
I wasn't allowed to use Cosmius during my training with Sycara. If I were to become reliant on using it, I would be dead weight when I run out of power units. Learning to fight better with a sword would be beneficial for when I return to the academy as well.

We set off into the forest, the light of the sun blocked by the thick canopy. It was quite hard to see in the forest, so I always had a little fire to light the way for me, but even that wasn't allowed. I'd have to rely on my ears for this. I kept my mind clear, waiting for any sudden noises. It was a while before anything remotely interesting happened. I got an odd sense of deja vu, last time there was an absence of monsters I was ambushed by a dangerous monster. Close behind me, I heard the rustling of leaves. I quickly turned to see a colossal bear, a lot like the kind that got me into this mess, but it looked a lot more ravenous. It stepped out from behind the tree and locked its beady eyes on me.

I took out my sword, readying myself to attack. I didn't really have an option for defence, a shield would have been good if I still had my left arm. Sycara was waiting up above in the treetops. She would save me if my life was in danger, but I can't just give up on the very first enemy I see.

The bear lunged forward, I dodged at the last second and slashed at the monster's torso. Unfortunately, my attack didn't leave too much of a wound, the bear just seemed even angrier than before. It continued swinging it's bulky arms at me. I evaded most of its attacks, slicing at its body at every opportunity. The small wounds were slowly building up, blood dripping from the holes in its hide. Still, the bear stood just as mightily as it did at the start of the fight.

Charging once more, the bear opened its mouth, showing rows of hardened spikes jutting out from crimson gums. I looked for places to dodge, but there was nowhere to go. The bear had cornered me between a group of tightly packed trees. I looked up, searching for any branches that might hold my weight.
There was one, quite high up, but I could reach it. Before the beast could close its mouth on my flesh, I leapt up into the air, kicking off a tree and hooking my arm onto the tree. The bear, confused as to where its prey had gone, left its back hide open.