【Endless Adaption】

Chapter 16:【First Pawn】

Y/N hummed quietly to hzg imself as he ventured forward deeper into the forest, steadily getting closer to the source of intensity of cursed energy, something he desired to puppeteer, a pawn to control within his fingers.

"This might be worth getting through all those bugs. They're nothing more than moths attracted a flame.. or in this situation...." He chuckled dryly to himself as he continued forward through the forest,cleaving another cursed spirit in half with his sword of extermination.

"They're like festering maggots, drawn towards the surplus amount of cursed energy... how disgusting." The viscera of the curse splattered against a tree,trickling down in small viscous trickles. His expression scrunched in mild revulsion at the sight as he walked forward. The remains of the curse soon disintegrated into nothingness afterward,gaining him a minimal amount of exp from exorcising such a pathetic excuse of curse.

Eventually, he'd make it towards a ruined shrine of some sort,roots & other foliage sprout out of the cracked foundation. The entirety was disheveled by the untold amount of disrepair, showing clear signs of erosion upon its structure.

"This seems like a good place, even for a curse." Y/N murmured, stroking his chin out of habit. Feeling an abrupt surge of cursed energy as he walked closer towards the ruined shrine. "Seems like it sensed me. That'll make it easier on my part." The ground began to tremors violently. The trees swayed erratically as the ground soon began to splinter & crack as the tremors grew in intensity.

His eyes widened slightly as the shrine was abruptly blown to bits within an instant,sending dust & debri throughout the area. Trees were soon to follow afterward, swiftly being uprooted out of the ground. Dirt was kicked up into the air as trees & other debri slammed into ground,further displacing more dirt & dust throughout the area.

"Interesting.... so this is the potential of an actual cursed spirit!" His eyes squinted from the amount of dust blanketing the air around him. Subsequently, the wind began to intensify once again. Sending a mass amount of dust into his direct as the intensity of wind only grew more violent. Trees upon the tens of twenties were swiftly ripped from the earth.

"This wind, it's only increasing further in intensity.. I'm barely keeping myself rooted to the ground anymore." Y/N's eyes squinted further, his feet sunken into his shadow. Keeping him anchored to the ground as another tree was swiftly ripped from the ground by the turbulent wind. As it then barreled towards him, only to be swift sliced in half vertically by his blade.

His legs sunk further into his shadow as the intensity of the wind only grew further. Eventually, the silhouette of something soon began to appear into his vision as the dust soon settled. The turbulent gale soon subsided afterward as the dust settled completely. The surrounding area was completely devastated, barren of any greenery.

The entirety of the cursed spirit was revealed,eliciting a chuckle from Y/N. "So.. that's what you like?" He chided nonchalantly as he then retracted his feet from his shadow.

The cursed spirit looked similar to a tortoise, except for it having the head of a snapping turtle as multiple bone-like protrusions adorned its shells. Which was a blank color of white as its scales were a dark green. Its shell was a light color of red, the same hue as eroding copper. While its limbs looked almost exactly the same as a snapping turtles as its claws dug into the barren soil, eyes bore into his with a smoldering gaze. Its height alone towered over of him. It seemed to be about 13 feet tall, Y/N presumed from his observations of it.

"I must say, you are quite the impressive spectacle.." Y/N exclaimed in a casual manner, he was about to continue talking until it abruptly shoot a burst of air at him. Barely without any time to react, he swiftly sunk his legs into his shadow,abruptly submerging himself down to his waist. Narrowly dodging its attack, his hair whipped around violently from the intense slipstream.

As the attack swiftly made contact with the tree behind him, blowing chunk through it & multiple acres behind it. The trees would then topple to the ground afterward, their bark cracking away in chunks.

Y/N's eyes widened upon the result of such a minimal burst of wind. "Even though it's in small amount, it dealt such damage. If that were to hit me.."  Y/N shuddered, abruptly resurfaced once again from his shadow. His gaze filled with exhilaration as the curse abruptly curled into a ball, within an instant. It rapidly began to suck in air  into its bone-like intrusion within an instant, a noise similar to a jet turbine began to howl throughout the area. Opening its mouth, in an instant, shooting another blast of piercing air towards him.

"Shit." His eyes widened momentarily, abruptly leaping out of the way, the turbulent wind blew through the forest, blowing massive chunks out of the earth. He clenched his jaw as he then rushed towards the cursed spirit, summoning his Sword Of Extermination as he got within its proximity.

"With that size, it makes quite the target." With a swift movement, Y/N slashed his blade at the curses head, planning on finishing this in an instant by decapitating it.

Clank!

Y/N's widened as his blade ricochet of its scales,not leaving a single scratch, not even a blemish upon impact.

"... It's scales... I can't peirce through." The cursed spirit abruptly shot multiple blasts of air at him from its intrusions. He immediately recovered from the momentary shock, swiftly blocking the blasts of air with his blade. Some of its attacks hit their marks, blasting away bits of skin & flesh in bloody chunks as he was swiftly launched away from it by the pressure behind its attack, smashing him through multiple trees. Until he finally slammed into a side of a tree, it's bark cracking upon impact as he coughed up blood,pain rattling through his body. Crumbling to his knees,slumping against the tree as his wounds gushed blood, painting the ground crimson.

"It seems to be... reinforcing it's attacks with cursed energy... how interesting." Y/N chuckled, which soon devolved into maniacal laughter as blood dripped out of his mouth,dripping down his chin as his wounds began to heal, heat expelling from the open wounds as they soon sealed. His eyes wide with a singular emotion; joy.

"What an amazing use of cursed energy!, To be expected from such a spirit." Y/N remarked maniacally as he steadily stood upon his feet, a wide grin gracing his face as the curses spirit began to approach him, its each spet shaking the ground.

"It seems like you'll be the hidden gem amongst these rocks!" Y/N chuckled as the spirit continues its approach.

"Let's hope you can sated my hunger, don't disappoint me because I'm only getting with this fresh life on mine, you'll be the first of my..."

"Pawns.."

{End of chapter 16}

Manz, is for real starting to tweak after getting the perk of regeneration.☠️☠️☠️ Anyways, see ya later guys! Also sorry for the wait, I'll try to make another chapter before the end of today.