7 December Year 2367

"Grrrr..."

Telfer opened his eyes. A pair of black paws paced back and forth in front of him. Telfer staggered to his feet. He was aching all over despite having recovered after absorbing quite a few bodies. Was it from fighting past exhaustion? What was in front of him? The paws stopped pacing around and moved towards him. Telfer stepped back and raised the sword. He could sense a large entity in front of him. As Telfer raised his head, warm black fur engulfed him. An excited growl came from beside him. Whatever it was did not seem to be dangerous. In fact, it was nuzzling Telfer with its fur. A sandpaper like tongue licked Telfer's cheek continuously.

"Stop, stop."

Telfer pushed it away and took a good look at it. It was the Night Leopard from before. Telfer sat down in a daze. Why was it here? Telfer looked at the leopard curiously. It sat down in front of Telfer and looked at him. Its golden eyes gazed at Telfer earnestly while purring. Telfer stood up. The leopard stood up as well. He rolled on the ground. The leopard followed suit.

Why is it mimicking me?

Telfer waved his hand and tried to chase it away. The leopard moved a step back before moving forward again. Telfer winced and a pained expression appeared on his face. He had enough to deal with already, why was a leopard added to his plate randomly? Telfer sliced a branch of a nearby tree and walked off, using the branch to prop himself up slong the way. Where to, Telfer did not know. He just wanted to clear his mind. Soft thuds came from behind him. Telfer looked over his shoulder. The leopard stalked his every step, always maintaining the same distance. "Whatever." Telfer thought. It was currently 10am. Telfer retrieved the map from his smartwatch. It was still just as useless. Trees, trees and more trees. No signs of a monument whatsoever. Telfer shook his head in disappointment. He could only hope to roam the forest and run into a monument. However, the difference from last time was that instead of rushing through the forest without taking any breaks, this time, Telfer was going to explore the forest and train along the way. There was no rush to go back to the Demon Kingdom.

*Growl*

The leopard walked in front of Telfer and whisked its tail before walking off in a separate direction. Telfer limped and followed it through the trees. Where was it taking him, he did not know. The leopard seemed really nice to him for some reason. It kept looking back at him as if it was checking whether Telfer was keeping up. Despite its fervent gaze, Telfer kept the sword in his hand throughout the journey. After a while, the leopard stopped in front of a cave. Its head rotated back and forth between Telfer and the cave. Is it gesturing me to go in? Telfer stepped into the cautiously. A pile of bones laid in the corner. It seemed like they were animal bones, due to the nature of the skulls that protruded out from the pile of bones. Oddly, the leopard crouched down and started sleeping inside the cave, leaving Telfer to his own devices. Telfer scanned the leopard. Then it hit him. While he was fighting the People's Blade, the leopard was in a brawl with the other beasts. On closer inspection, they seemed to be patches of fur that had mysteriously disappeared. There were scars and wounds on some of these patches.

I guess it was also tired out from fighting.

Telfer stepped out and explored his suroundings a little. There was a stream nearby. Telfer looked around warily. There were no other magical beasts nearby. Telfer dipped his feet into the stream gingerly before submerging his entire body into the stream. Telfer smiled happily as he enjoyed this rare moment of peace and quiet. Telfer splashed the ice cold water onto his face. It was really refreshing to take a break every now and then. From the get go, his life had been a course of ups and downs. Telfer looked at his reflection in the water. His horns had grown significantly. They were at least 10 cm now. He looked down at his face, something he had never really looked at in this second life. Messy yellow hair on top of an oval like face. A pair of green pupils that sparkled and glowed along with the water surface. Telfer was stunned for a moment before chuckling. If he recounted what he had gone through ever since he had reincarnated, people would think he was insane. After all, he was a 12 year old boy.

That's right! I have time. I can keep growing and growing.

Telfer smiled as he fell backwards into the water. He was going to climb to the top. He had failed once. There was no way he was giving up in this second life.

"You won't get there like this. How about I give you something to help you out along the way."

Telfer froze on the water's surface and grieved inwardly. His peace and quiet had been broken by this rude visitor. He was having such a great time until Agvak showed up.

"I did not think you would accumulate so many ghoul cells in such a short period of time. A little more and you will be eligible for the awakening ceremony. Of course, the cost will be added to your bill."

Agvak went on and on about the "bill". Manpower cost, price for extra tips, price for helping him in a life saving situation and so on and so forth. Telfer's lips became increasingly narrow and thin.

"Host's heart rate is dangerously high. Host should calm down immediately."

Agvak disappeared after his speech. Telfer stared up at the clouds that passed by. Calm down? That was impossible. Not after Agvak had finished with saying he was going to have to break his back for this so called "bill". The only thing that he should be grateful for was during the last moment of his fight against the leader.

"ARGHHHH!"

Telfer slapped the water. How could he return to such a tranquil state after hearing that speech? Telfer got up, sulking while walking back to the cave. The only interesting thing that Telfer had gleamed was the awakening ceremony. To awaken what, Telfer did not know. Was it a ghoul thing? Telfer kicked a pebble along the ground as he walked.

*Growl*

Telfer looked up and the thoughts in his mind ceased immediately. A pack of hyenas stood in front of the cave. The Night Leopard was awake and growling at them. Telfer scanned the pack of hyenas. All ten of them were poised for action. As Telfer neared, one of the hyenas spotted him. "I guess there's no option for me to back out." Telfer thought as the hyenas turned around to face him. Besides, he owed the leopard a favour for not killing him while he was down. And also for bringing him to its home. Telfer raised the sword and prepared to fight.

Suddenly, 2 of the hyenas pounced at him. One of them went for his neck while the other went a little lower and went for his leg. Telfer waved the sword and the hyena aiming for his neck had its head cut off immediately. However, a second hyena appeared right behind the corpse. It pushed off the corpse which had seemingly disappeared into nothing and pushed towards Telfer's neck. Just then, an acute pain abruptly appeared on his left leg. Telfer swung the sword quickly. The pain slowly disappeared as a hyena's corpse let go of Telfer's leg. This time, the corpse disappeared as well while another hyena stepped over its comrade to attack him. Telfer scanned the hyenas while swinging the sword. A hyena's head floated up in the air. With that, there should be 7 left. Telfer's eyes widened in surprise.

Why are there still 10 of them? I clearly killed 3 of them just now! It can't be...

Telfer kicked a corpse and it disappeared once more. Out of the corner of his eye, another hyena materialized and approached him. The hyenas seemed to grin, exposing their long and sharp canines.

Suddenly, the hyenas started attacking from a new direction. The speed of the attacks had also increased. Telfer swinged the sword faster and faster over time. The change in frequency of attacks was not very drastic but it had definitely increased. Telfer gritted his teeth and furrowed hsi eyebrows. If it kept increasing like this, there was no doubt he was going to be overwhelmed. This Illusion skill of the hyenas was really terrifying. The illusions were like real hyenas, able to do some damage. Not that it mattered since his wounds would rapidly recover.

"Enough! Go away!"

Telfer swung the sword horizontally in front of him. 3 more corpses collapsed onto the ground and 3 more appeared in front of him. They were not even trying to hide it anymore. Suddenly, the number of hyenas multiplied to 20. Telfer kneew instantly. They were trying to end the fight right now. All 20 of the hyenas leapt at Telfer. Telfer activated Immortal Guard instantly. Claw marks and teeth marks appeared all over his body. Although his wounds were rapildy healing, his body was still wrecked with pain. But through all the chaos, Telfer grinned. The Night Leopard materialized above the writhing mass of bodies that Telfer was trapped in.

*BOOM*

Countless bodies were squashed underneath its paws as it landed heavily on the ground. Blood splashed all over Telfer. His gamble had paid off. To bring him into its home, the leopard should have cared for him. When he needed help, the leopard had came through. Telfer slashed his sword frantically. The workload had decreased greatly, making it easier to deal with the increased number of hyenas. Man and beast slayed the hyenas until there was one left. It seemed like they had found the source of illusions. The hyena sat down and whimpered. Its eyes looked at Telfer beggingly. Telfer grinned and brought the sword down onto the hyena's neck. Survival of the fittest. Besides, the hyena was the one who had antagonised them. Telfer watched with a surprise look as the Night Leopard tore the corpse apart. He had thought that the Night Leopard would eat it. However, the leopard seemed to ignore the meat and flesh. The Night Leopard stopped digging through the corpse and raised its head. A glittering grey mana crystal lied inside its mouth. The Night Leopard hopped into the cave and swallowed the mana core directly before lying down. Telfer dragged the corpse back to the cave. He was going to make a meal out of this. As he was gathering firewood, Agvak appeared again.

"Leave the Night Leopard alone. It's currently absorbing the mana crystal of the Illusion Pack Hyena. Let me teach you a little more about magical beasts. There are 3 major and 9 minor stages in a magical beasts growth. The 3 major stages are Earth, Sky and Heaven, and are all split into Lower, Medium and Upper levels. However, some of these beasts are not able to achieve all 9 stages. This is due to their diluted bloodline. The bloodline of this particular Night Leopard gives it potential to reach the Sky Tier. However, breaking through to the Heaven tier will be nothing short of impossible unless you can concentrate its bloodline. You can also plant some glyph inscriptions. Both methods will be very expensive. The leopard is currently at Upper Earth level. What the leopard is doing is growing its mana crystal by consuming mana crystals of other beasts. Since the Night Leopard uses both Darkness and Illusion Magic, the hyena's mana crystal is pretty compatible. That is all."

Agvak's words ran through Telfer's mind as he roasted the meat. So this leopard would be trapped within the Sky realm throughout its life. "That's pretty sad." Telfer thought. But to think glyph inscription could be used like this. It seemed like glyphs could do anything. He should probably pick up glyph inscripting quickly. Telfer made up his mind to enter the sea of consciousness after this meal. He was going to make Agvak spit out whatever resources he had to learn glyph inscription. Telfer glanced at the leopard. The flesh underneath the skin squirmed frequently and its face creased together as if it was in a lot of pain.

Oh well, I can't help you.

Telfer sank his teeth into the hyena meat while staring at the cave ceiling. Occasional growling could be heard. Telfer ate his fill and entered his sea of consciousness. Agvak was sitting on the couch as always. He seemed to have been waiting for Telfer for he immediately looked up when Telfer entered.

"Regarding the long term deal, I believe you have given some thought to it?"

Agvak clasped his hands together and cocked his head to the side. His eyelids blinked rapidly while speaking. It was a face of innocence. However, underneath this face was a volcano ready to erupt. Telfer could sense it. If he said no here, there would be another tantrum headed his way. Telfer fixed his steely- eyed gaze on Agvak.

"Yes. I will get you whatever you need..."

Agvak started clapping. The facade fell away to reveal joy and happiness. Agvak beamed widely and danced on the spot. It was as if his salvation had arrived.

"But on one condition, you must accede to my every request first before payment."

Agvak stopped dancing immediately. He turned around to face Telfer. His eyes flickered from side to side while considering Telfer's request. His brows would furrow together at times. Sometimes, his eyes widened while he muttered under his breath.

"Can you just decide already?"

Telfer tapped his foot and scowled at Agvak. Agvak clenched his teeth and strode up to Telfer. A firm handshake sealed everything. "Haha, I have played you like a fool now. Give me all your resources." Telfer thought.

"So what do you want? Glyph inscription? Here you go."

Agvak took out the carving knife and a few blocks of wood unwillingly. Telfer stretched out his hand and looked at Agvak doubtfully. Agvak placed the items in Telfer's palm while muttering something before retreating into the couch.

"As if I can't let go of a few blocks of wood and a carving knife. The wood is just wood from a specially cultivated mana pine tree. It's worth nothing. Just a tree. Just a tree. Just a tree..."

Telfer was stunned into silence as Agvak sat on the couch while whispering the same words over and over again. His eyelids creased into narrow eyelids and a smile was constantly maintained on the face. It was like watching someone recit a mantra except you would also fear for their mental well being.

Is this a withdrawal symptom of being a money grubber?

Agvak's status was being raised from "money grubber" to "hoarder" in Telfer's mind. Telfer shuddered while backing away into some corner of the sea of consciousness. Would Agvak start saying "My Precious"? Telfer sat down but decided it would be safer to be further away. After all, the mantra was getting increasingly louder. Telfer shook his head to dispel any thoughts. It was time to focus. The target for today was to create 3 mana channels to become a Glyph Inscription Apprentice. Telfer hefted up a block of wood. It was surprisingly light. Telfer stuck his knife into it and started drawing his first mana channel. After 5 minutes, he compared the mana channel to the one in Agvak's book.

Good. Time to do the second one.

Beads of sweat appeared on Telfer's head as he started his second mana channel. Drawing this one was much harder, as he had just recovered from mental exhaustion. However, Telfer kept the blade steady and a satisfactory mana channel came out after 7 minutes.

Last one. Just one more.

Telfer gave himself a pat on the back. By then, his entire was slick with sweat. Sweat dripped onto the block of wood in Telfer's hand continuously, forming dark black spots everywhere. Telfer wiped the sweat of his forehead and licked his lips. He had not collapsed like before. Telfer raised the carving knife within his trembling hand and took to the task with greater zeal than ever before. He dug up the mental energy within the recesses of his mind and held the blade steady. Time Magic poured out of the blade in a continuous stream. 10 minutes. Telfer took 10 minutes to carve the first half of the mana channel. Sweat was pouring out like a river. Another 12 minutes. Telfer lifted the carving knife from the wood and stared at the mana channel. There was no need to compare with the mana channel in the book to know that it was satisfactory.

"I FUCKING DID IT!"

Telfer drew the knife up. 34 minutes. He had taken 34 minutes to draw 3 mana channels. All his mana had pretty much been depleted. But Telfer leapt for joy. He was now a Glyph Inscription Apprentice! He could start learning how to construct basic glyphs. As Telfer closed his eyes, Agvak picked up the items and scrutinised them.

"Perfect. He actually did it!"

Agvak looked back and forth between the mana channels created and the one in the book. There was nothing to complain about. Agvak took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. It seemed like his plans to pass on everything was going to be moved forward due to this monstrous genius he had found. To fully excavate his potential, there were many things Agvak had to do. He narrowed his eyes and started scribbling on a piece of paper. As Telfer exited the sea of consciousness, he did not understand the days of terror he had brought on himself.

End of Chapter