MY F-GRADE BEAST IS THE STRONGEST

A Place to Rest

Airis struggled through the passage with the Shadow Beast in his arms. His chest hurt, his breathing was difficult, and he could hear the leopard recovering behind him.

He knew he was moving in the wrong direction, but there was nothing he could do. The Shadow Beast's attack had driven the leopard toward the entrance, blocking their exit.

Everything was dark inside the cave, yet strangely enough, he could see clearly as though it were daytime. Perhaps it had something to do with his awakened attribute.

He glanced at the Shadow Beast in his arms.

"Buddy, are we really going to die here?"

He had no idea whether his Spirit Beast understood him, but its earlier display of power gave him a little hope.

Suddenly, the creature raised its head and pointed a claw toward a passage.

Airis frowned. "You want us to go that way?"

The Shadow Beast remained silent.

Airis took a deep breath. He had no other choice but to trust his contracted beast, at least this once.

He followed its direction until he reached a cliff. Far below, a river rushed between the rocks, its strong current churning the water.

Airis swallowed hard and turned toward his Spirit Beast.

"Are you kidding me? Which direction do you want me to go?"

The Shadow Beast raised its claws toward the river below.

"I said it before. You're going to be the death of me!"

ROAR!

A roar echoed through the passage.

The leopard was close.

Airis turned and caught sight of its shadow approaching. With no time left to consider his options, he clenched his teeth.

"I hope I won't regret this!"

He finally jumped. The moment he hit the water, the current dragged him away. The injured leopard reached the cliff and stared down at the river, its yellow eyes scanning the rushing water. After several minutes, it roared angrily before turning back toward its lair.

****

Gulp!

After what felt like an eternity, Airis finally reached the shore. He dragged himself onto the ground and collapsed, exhausted and struggling to breathe.

The current had nearly drowned him. If not for the basic training and swimming experience he'd gained as a child, he might not have survived.

Water dripped from his clothes as he lay beside the river, too exhausted to move. His chest still hurt, and every breath reminded him of the terrible blow he'd received from the Shadowfang Leopard.

"Damn it..."

He slowly pushed himself up, wincing as pain shot through his chest. After looking around, he spotted the Shadow Beast sitting nearby, shaking the water from its tiny body.

Airis let out a sigh of relief, "At least you're still alive."

He wanted to complain about the creature's decision to make him jump into a river, but he barely had the strength to speak.

His gaze shifted to his surroundings.

The cavern was much larger than he had expected. The river flowed along one side before disappearing between two enormous rocks. Beyond it, the ground rose gradually, with scattered bones and patches of vegetation growing between them.

Airis frowned.

Some bones were small, while others were nearly as large as his own body. A few still had the curved shape of animal skulls, and several long bones lay half-buried beneath the soil.

"What kind of place is this?"

He had no answer.

His attention soon shifted to an enormous tree growing farther inside the cavern. Its thick trunk rose from the ground, and its branches spread across the cavern like a canopy. The roots twisted around rocks and disappeared beneath piles of bones. Despite the lack of sunlight, dense green leaves covered its branches.

Airis stared at it briefly before shaking his head.

He had more important things to worry about.

First, he needed to deal with his injuries.

He carefully examined his chest, touching the area where the leopard had struck him. The pain made him grit his teeth, but he couldn't tell whether any of his ribs were broken.

"I really thought I was going to die back there."

He lowered his hand and looked at the Shadow Beast.

"And you... next time you want me to jump into a river, at least find one that won't nearly drown me."

The shadow beast blinked at him.

Airis sighed. "Of course. Why am I even talking to you?"

He forced himself to stand and slowly made his way toward the tree. The uneven ground forced him to stop several times when the pain in his chest became too much. By the time he reached the roots, sweat had gathered on his forehead.

He settled against one of the thicker roots and took a moment to rest.

From there, he noticed several unfamiliar plants growing among the bones. Their leaves were dark green, some marked with small red veins. The soil around their roots was unusually dark.

Airis leaned forward to examine them.

He vaguely remembered seeing similar plants in a book in his family's library. Certain herbs could grow in places where beasts had died, absorbing nutrients from the surrounding soil and remains. Some possessed medicinal properties, while others were poisonous.

After studying the leaves, he recognized one as a low-grade medicinal herb used to reduce swelling and help minor wounds heal.

It wouldn't repair serious injuries, but it was better than nothing.

"Finally, some good luck."

He picked a few leaves, rinsed them in the river, and crushed them between his fingers. After applying the pulp to his worst bruises, he used a strip torn from his clothing to hold it in place.

The treatment did little to ease the pain immediately, but at least he had done something about his injuries.

Airis leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes briefly.

When he opened them again, the Shadow Beast was nowhere to be seen.

His expression changed slightly, "Don't tell me you've run off again!"

He struggled to his feet and looked around. The last thing he needed was to chase the creature through another dangerous place.

Then he noticed movement among the branches.

The tiny Shadow Beast was climbing along a thick branch, moving between the leaves with surprising ease.

Airis stared at it, "What are you doing up there?"

The creature ignored him and continued exploring the canopy.

Airis shook his head and lowered himself against the root. At least the little troublemaker wasn't leading him toward another monster this time.

Several minutes passed before the Shadow Beast climbed down, carrying a dark purple fruit between its claws. The fruit was roughly the size of Airis's palm, and a faint sweetness drifted from it.

When he took it, he felt a trace of mana coming from within.

His eyebrows rose.

"Mana?"

He examined the fruit more carefully. The amount was faint, nothing compared to what he had sensed from the Shadowfang Leopard, but it was definitely there.

The Shadow Beast turned and climbed back up the tree.

For once, Airis had nothing to complain about.

He sniffed the fruit cautiously before taking a small bite. The taste was mildly sweet, with a slight tang that lingered on his tongue.

He waited for a moment, watching for any unusual reaction. When nothing happened, he took another bite and finished it.

Suddenly, a faint warmth spread through his stomach.

Airis sat up straighter. The exhaustion weighing on his body began to ease, and his limbs no longer felt quite as heavy. He flexed his fingers and took a slow breath.

His chest still hurt, but he no longer felt quite as drained as before.

"This fruit actually helps restore vitality..."

He looked toward the canopy, where the Shadow Beast was moving among the branches again, apparently searching for more fruit.

Airis couldn't help smiling.

"Who knew you could be useful?"

The creature glanced down at him, its violet eyes narrowing slightly before it turned away.

Airis chuckled, then immediately regretted it when pain shot through his chest.

"Ouch! Damn it!"

His smile vanished as he pressed a hand against his ribs.

He needed to rest before attempting anything else. The fruit had helped restore some of his vitality, but it wouldn't heal his injuries overnight.

For now, the cavern would have to serve as his temporary shelter. It had water, medicinal herbs, and a tree bearing fruit that contained mana. Compared with the wilderness outside, it was the best place he had found since his father abandoned him.

Airis settled against the thick root and watched the Shadow Beast climb down to sit beside him.

He had survived the leopard, but he couldn't rely on escaping every monster he encountered. His contracted beast had already shown him several abilities, yet he still knew very little about how they worked.

If he wanted to survive in Gloamwood, he needed to learn.

His thoughts returned to what had happened earlier in the cave. When he had tried to establish a connection with his Spirit Beast, he had felt mana flowing from his chest toward the creature. He had even seen dark mana curling around his fingers, but he still didn't know whether it belonged to him or his beast.

Perhaps he had been too focused on sensing his mana to understand the connection.

Airis shifted into a more comfortable position, wincing as the movement aggravated his chest. Then he closed his eyes and recalled the instructions he had read in his family's library.

He regulated his breathing and focused on the bond between himself and the Shadow Beast.

At first, nothing happened.

He frowned but continued concentrating. After a while, he felt a faint movement within his chest, followed by the familiar sensation of mana flowing toward his contracted beast.

Airis opened his eyes.

"So I wasn't imagining it."

He looked at the Shadow Beast sitting beside him. He still didn't understand their connection, but at least he had something to work on now.

Airis took another slow breath and closed his eyes again.

"All right, buddy. We've got a lot to figure out.”