After appreciating his newfound strength, Edward meditated, waiting for the evening when he would be able to hunt those monsters in the forest. Meditating was a nice way to spend the time, it helped him to calm down and he could exercise his aura control at the same time. Edward was alternatively increasing and subduing his aura in a cycle. The fluctuations of his aura were getting smoother each cycle. Training regularly, he had made tremendous improvement in his aura control compared to the beginning when it was hard for him to even sense his own aura. Without meditation, Edward would have gone crazy, there weren’t many distractions in the wild. The only heyday of his daytime was ironically when the night was falling so that he could go on his hunt.

Edward slowly opened his eyes. It was time. He calmly got up, going out of his base and towards the ruins at a measured pace. He had noticed that while his aura perception enabled him to sense other living organisms around him, it also helped him familiarize himself with his own body. He felt more in control, it was easier to coordinate his movements. He felt confident, tonight he would trash those Teleportcrows.

When he entered the forest, he deliberately didn’t hide his aura, he stood in the open, not hiding, waiting for the monsters to find him. He was still in the borders, where the monsters were meeker than the one he had a draw with. He didn’t have to wait long before one of the Teleportcrow appeared silently behind his back. Edward didn’t even turn around and simply throw his right elbow toward the monster's face. It didn’t have time to react and was hit by it before teleporting away. Edward turned to face the monster almost at the same time that it materialized again.

He was getting better at following their teleportations, not so much because of his aura perception, but more thanks to his space awareness. When the monsters teleported, their aura was gone for a brief instant, as they were no longer in this world. However, he could sense the tremors in space that their teleportation caused. It was probably because of the two he slew yesterday, but now he realized he was almost able to predict where the monster would teleport to.

As the monster appeared, Edward pounced toward it before it had the time to teleport away, impaling it on his blade. The energy and power of the monster were swiftly absorbed by the blade and transmitted to Edward. Somehow, he had the sensation that the power he got from them had diminished. He wasn’t sure if this was really the case or if it was because he had grown stronger.

That’s all? I’m not satiated with only this much given to me. I need to grow stronger. Those monsters will soon be insufficient for me. I finished it in two moves and I feel as if it didn’t give me much. I don’t know why, but tonight I feel hungry for power. I will hunt for one or two more here and then I will try my chance again deeper in the forest. Yesterday, that monster's aggressiveness took me by surprise, but I feel like I found the right way to deal with them now. I’m not relying on a trick but on real abilities this time. And I feel good tonight, I have a chance against it.

Edward stayed for a bit at the same spot, waiting for another monster. He didn’t even bother going to a new place, as he wanted the monster to find him faster. The corpse of the first monster had already turned to dust and was indistinguishable among the fallen leaves. When another one arrived, Edward quickly chained a swipe behind him with his leg, unbalancing the monster and making it fall, before turning in the same motion and piercing it with his dagger. The fight was over in an instant. This isn’t even funny. It looks like bullying. But I feel good to be able to deal with them that way. It didn’t even have a chance to react. A teleporting power without good reflexes isn’t that good for them when you can pinpoint where they are going to teleport in advance.

It's strange, although that monster provided some power through the dagger, I feel a craving for more. Tonight, it feels like the more power I am absorbing the more I need it. Am I getting addicted somehow? Are there side effects to absorbing power that way? I still feel like settling the score with the monster I fought with yesterday though. Ok, I will deal with it and that will be enough for tonight. After that, I will take a day off. More power is good, but I don’t want to become addicted or to turn into a monster myself controlled by its craving because of it.

Edward continued on his way deeper into the forest, he wasn’t able to differentiate the monsters but he hoped that if he went to the same place as yesterday, he would encounter the same monster. Indeed, that is exactly what happened. As he was taking a step forward, a Teleportcrow teleported behind him and attacked with a swipe of its arm. This one was faster, cannier, and more aggressive than the other in the border of the forest.

As he wasn’t having a good stance, the timing of the Teleportcrow being too tricky, Edward didn’t have any other choice but to follow through with his step and make a front roll to avoid the attack. He got up, but he realized that he had lost track of the monster’s aura. The monster wasn’t in the vicinity anymore. Edward had a good aura perception, but right now he was in a lush forest, with abundant and various auras. If the monster wasn’t close by, he didn’t have a way to track him. His aura enabled him to sense living organisms around him even if they were behind his back, or if there was no visibility. However, it was only useful at close range, if the monster had gone into hiding twenty or thirty meters away Edward wouldn’t be able to sense it in such a rich environment.

Okay, I do think it is the same monster as before. This thing is learning. Last time it went away when it didn’t manage to kill me easily. Now he is making an ambush and disappearing right after instead of continuing the attack. This thing wants to keep the surprise advantage. I haven’t said my last word, however. Tonight, I’m staying here, let’s see who runs out of patience first. I can’t let this monster continue to learn and adapt to my fighting style, it will only get more difficult to deal with otherwise.

Edward waited for the monster to come back, and attack him while he was distracted. He had a hunch that the monster was still in the vicinity waiting for him to make a mistake or to relapse his attention. He didn’t walk but stood in place, he didn’t want the same thing to repeat, with the monster catching him out of balance. The timing of the monster’s attack was too uncanny, striking just as he was taking a step forward. Edward even took the risk of closing his eyes to better focus on his aura perception and space awareness. Alternatively, it could also perhaps persuade the monster that he had fallen asleep or something like that. But that monster wasn’t as stupid as the ones near the borders of the forest, and it was doubtful it would fall for something like that. It would probably attack when it run out of patience rather than because Edward was showing a false vulnerability.

And so, the game began, Edward waiting with his eyes close while focusing on any space tremors caused by teleportation or an aura that would appear close by. Meanwhile, the monster was nowhere to be seen, as if it had really given up and gone for another easier prey. Edward didn’t lose his cool and continued to wait patiently, he was in the monster's territory and he didn’t think that the monster would tolerate his stay here for long. Time seemed to stretch for an eternity, but finally, the monster lost patience first and attacked Edward, teleporting in his back. The contrast between the immobility and the sudden attack would have been surprising for someone who wasn’t waiting for it.

However, that wasn’t the case for Edward, who hadn’t lost his focus and was constantly monitoring his surroundings. He counterattacked with an elbow strike in his back. This time, the monster didn’t flee away to hide and find a better attack opportunity. Instead, it attacked relentlessly, teleporting to the side to avoid Edward’s blow, and answering with a strike of its own. The two of them chained several attacks quickly, Edward not managing to land a hit and the monster choosing to teleport and attack again, rather than be struck by a hit.

The exchanges were fast, but the monster pursued the attack. Edward’s stay in its hunting domain had seemingly pissed it off enough that he decided to end it right here, right now. After several misses, Edward threw his elbow behind him while the monster wasn’t even there yet, anticipating its next move. The monster was so caught up in its series of attacks that he teleported right in front of the hit as if it willingly wanted to take it. It was hit by the elbow, slowing it down enough for Edward to sweep it with a swing of his leg. Edward used the motion to turn around and stab it with his dagger, using the same winning combination that he used before against the other monster.

The Teleportcrow struggled for an instant while being pierced by the blade before slowing down, turning listless and dissipating in a thick cloud of particles. Edward didn’t have the time to celebrate his victory as the energy flux send to him via the dagger was a lot more important than before. All this energy. Yes, this is it. This is how it should feel. He opened his eyes wide all of sudden as he felt as if something had been unlocked inside him, an invisible frontier broken by this tide of energy. His aura perception expanded dramatically, it was as if he was fully awake for the first time in his life. In one moment, he was aware of all the living beings around him for a radius of fifty meters. As he was feeling dizzy from all the information input, he sensed another wave of dizziness washed over him. He lost all sense of direction for a brief instant, stumbling and starting to fall toward the ground.

As he was extending his hand to find support to hold onto, his gaze landed on a tree nearby. His vision went dark with a burst of vertigo before he was able to see again, his hand landing on the tree instead of on the ground. The dizziness settled down as he tried to process what just happened. Wait, did I just teleport to that tree? He turned around, he was now two meters away from his initial position. Wow, I really did. I can teleport now. I must have stolen that ability from the monsters somehow. I didn’t even know it was possible to acquire the ability of monsters. Does this mean I can acquire several powers according to the type of monster that I hunt?

This world is incredible. I feel like I got a surprise Christmas just for me. And what was that with my aura perception? I could feel a ton of things. Edward focused on his aura perception, sensing first what was in his immediate vicinity before attempting to sense things further from him. At the same time, he looked up, he was now able to see faint auras coming out from the trees with his naked eyes. His perception kept up with his wishes without difficulty. On the contrary, it was Edward who was beginning to have a headache because of all the information to keep track of. He switched off his aura perception.

Is that also a power that I stole from the monster? And I can see auras too now instead of simply sensing them. Also, I didn’t notice before, but I don’t have that craving for power anymore. I feel … satiated for a lack of a better word. I have so many questions. If Balin or Caspian were there maybe I could get some answers, they are awakens after all.

Wait…you can become stronger by absorbing the blood and power of monsters eventually reaching another level altogether. Did I just break through the awaken level?