MY F-GRADE BEAST IS THE STRONGEST

First Attempt

The next day, Airis woke up after one of the shortest yet most peaceful rests he had experienced in a long time. He had never imagined that, at his age, he would find himself struggling to survive in the wilderness. However, the hardship he had endured only strengthened his determination to prove to his father and the rest of his family that he wasn't a weakling.

He slowly raised his head and looked around. His Spirit Beast was already awake, staring directly at him.

Airis paid little attention to it as he noticed that the fire had gone out. He then checked his injuries and found that they had improved noticeably. Although his chest still hurt, he had recovered some of his strength and no longer felt as helpless as he had the previous day. At the very least, he could move around now and begin figuring out how to improve himself.

He slowly stood up. The pain in his chest was still there, but it was manageable. He walked towards the cavern's entrance, where the river flowed through the rocks.

He bent down and washed his face, making sure he was clean enough to begin his day. After a few minutes, he removed his torn shirt, leaving himself in only his trousers. His physique was fairly average for a fifteen-year-old boy, nothing particularly impressive.

Taking a deep breath, he recalled what had happened the previous day when he tried to sense the Mossback Deer near the cavern's entrance.

The dark mana he had used wasn't simply coming from his connection with his Spirit Beast. He had felt it responding to his own will, allowing him to perceive the deer's outline through the surrounding shadows.

That was what interested him most. He knew he had an ability of his own, but learning how to use it properly was another matter entirely.

"Okay, Airis. You've got this!"

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his mana. This time, he decided to use his Spirit Beast as a test subject. The little creature was resting some distance away beneath the enormous tree.

A faint trace of mana gathered around his fingertips as he concentrated. He tried to guide it into the surrounding shadows, hoping to recreate what he had done the previous day.

At first, nothing happened.

Airis frowned and concentrated harder, attempting to move the shadows towards his Spirit Beast. He could feel his mana responding faintly, but he couldn't seem to control it the way he wanted.

After several minutes, Airis still hadn't achieved anything.

He opened his eyes and looked at his fingertips with a frustrated expression. He could feel his mana, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make the shadows move the way he wanted.

"What's going on? I did it yesterday, didn't I?"

He glanced towards his Spirit Beast, which was still resting beneath the tree as though nothing happening around it concerned it.

Airis sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Don't tell me you can do it whenever you want, but I have to struggle just to make something happen."

The Shadow Beast opened one of its violet eyes and looked at him briefly before closing it again.

Airis stared at it for a moment before turning away.

"Fine. I'll figure it out myself."

He closed his eyes again, but this time, he stopped trying to force his mana to move the shadows. Instead, he focused on the faint sensation he had felt the previous day when he sensed the Mossback Deer near the cavern's entrance.

He remembered how the darkness had responded when he concentrated on the creature's location. Back then, he hadn't understood what he was doing. He had simply wanted to see what was hiding in the darkness.

Perhaps that was where he had gone wrong.

Rather than trying to control all the shadows around him, he focused on a small patch of darkness near the tree roots.

A faint trace of mana flowed from his fingertips.

Airis concentrated on that patch, trying to make it move.

At first, the shadow remained still. Then, almost imperceptibly, its edge shifted across the ground.

His eyes widened.

"It moved!"

He immediately tried again, but the shadow returned to its original position. When he attempted to move it a second time, the mana around his fingertips flickered and disappeared.

Airis frowned, but he didn't give up. He took a deep breath and tried to repeat the process, this time paying attention to how much mana he was using.

Slowly, the patch of darkness began to stretch towards the tree roots.

It wasn't much, and he could barely keep it in place, but he had done it without relying on his connection with his Spirit Beast.

Before he could celebrate, a sharp pain spread through his chest.

"Ugh!"

Airis staggered backwards and quickly released his concentration. The shadow returned to normal as he pressed a hand against his chest, breathing heavily.

"Damn it. I almost forgot about these injuries."

He stood still for a while, waiting for the pain to subside. Although he had recovered some strength overnight, his body was nowhere near ready for strenuous training.

Still, the result had been worth the effort.

He had managed to move the shadow with his own mana, even if it was only for a few seconds. That meant his ability wasn't limited to what he could do through his Spirit Beast.

Airis looked down at his fingertips, trying to understand what he had just accomplished.

"So I can control the shadows around me..."

He paused, then shook his head.

"No, that's too early to say. I could barely move one small patch."

He didn't know how far this ability could go, how much mana it required, or whether he could use it outside the cavern. There was still a lot he needed to learn.

For now, he had discovered one thing: he could move the shadows, but only with concentration, and even a small attempt could strain his injured body.

Airis took another deep breath before turning towards his Spirit Beast.

The little creature had raised its head and was watching him with its violet eyes.

Their gazes met for a moment.

"Well? What do you think?" Airis asked.

The Shadow Beast stared at him silently before lowering its head and settling back beneath the tree.

Airis's mouth twitched.

"You could at least pretend to be impressed."

Receiving no response, he let out a helpless sigh.

"Whatever. I'll get better at this, whether you help me or not."

He glanced towards the cavern's entrance, where sunlight filtered through the rocks. He had food and water for the moment, but he couldn't remain in the cavern forever. If he wanted to survive in Gloamwood, he needed to become stronger and learn more about the wilderness around him.

However, with his injuries still bothering him, he couldn't afford to rush things.

Airis looked at his fingertips one last time.

Tomorrow, he would try again.

Just as he was about to turn away, a faint sound reached his ears.

He stopped and raised his head, trying to determine where it had come from.

At first, he thought it was just the sound of the wind passing through the rocks. However, a moment later, he heard it again.

It was Footsteps, someone was running from something or someone.

Airis frowned and looked towards the cavern's entrance, but the sound wasn't coming from there. Instead, it seemed to be coming from somewhere above him.

Before he could figure out what was happening, a hurried voice echoed through the rocks.

"Don't let it get any closer!"

Airis's expression changed.

The voice sounded frightened, and whoever was speaking seemed to be running for their life.

He glanced towards his Spirit Beast, which had already raised its head. Unlike before, the little creature wasn't closing its eyes or returning to sleep. Its violet eyes were fixed on the darkness above them.

Airis swallowed hard.

He was still injured, and he had no idea what was happening outside the cavern. Getting involved in someone else's trouble was the last thing he needed right now.

But then another sound echoed from above.

Ah!!!

A terrified scream.

Airis's heart skipped a beat.

Someone was in danger.

He looked up towards the rocky ceiling, trying to locate the source of the noise, while his Spirit Beast slowly rose to its feet.

"What the hell is going on up there?”