After eating and resting for about an hour, Orren prepared himself to go hunting near the forest.
From what he had learned in the academy that day, many dormant beasts roamed the outer boundaries of the forest.
The deeper areas were far more dangerous, but the creatures near the edge were considered suitable targets for students who had just begun learning how to survive.
Those were exactly the creatures Orren intended to hunt.
Since the forest was relatively close to the settlement, it did not take him long to reach it.
With the spear in one hand, he stepped between the trees and moved carefully, paying attention to every sound around him.
The atmosphere inside the forest was completely different from the village.
The sounds of people disappeared, replaced by the rustling of leaves, distant animal calls, and the occasional snapping of branches.
Even though this was only the outer edge of the forest, Orren could feel that this was not a place where one could afford to lower their guard.
After walking for a couple of minutes, he suddenly heard a strange grunting sound.
He immediately slowed down and approached cautiously, making sure to keep his movements quiet.
Not far away, he spotted two fox-like creatures tearing apart and sharing the remains of some unfortunate prey.
They were not normal foxes.
The creatures were almost the size of adult wolves, with two tails extending from their backs.
Parts of their bodies were covered in hard scales instead of fur, giving them a strange and unnatural appearance.
‘Ironfur Vulpine, most likely.’ Orren remembered the information taught in the academy.
Dormant beasts were not something ordinary people could easily handle, even at the edge of the forest.
Underestimating them simply because they were the weakest monsters would be a mistake.
Rather than approaching closer, Orren slowly reached for his bow.
Although he had only used it for the first time during training earlier that day, he thought it was worth trying.
The distance was not too great, and the creatures were distracted while eating.
He could not have asked for a better opportunity.
He carefully pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocked it, and aimed at the closest Vulpine.
After steadying his breathing, he released the string.
Thwick!
The arrow flew through the air.
Orren had aimed for the head, but his inexperience showed.
The arrow struck just below the neck, burying itself into the creature’s right shoulder.
Fortunately, that area was not covered by scales.
However, the arrow was still only a mundane weapon.
It pierced the muscle but failed to deal a fatal injury.
The Vulpine immediately noticed the attack and let out an enraged roar.
“Wooooooo!” Since he did not hear the Nightmare Spell announce his kill, Orren did not waste any time trying another shot.
Instead, he dropped the bow, grabbed his spear, and threw it with all his strength.
The injured Vulpine had already begun moving, but the arrow lodged in its shoulder affected its movement.
Its body faltered for a brief moment, and that opening was enough.
The spear pierced straight through its neck.
The creature collapsed.
[You have slain a dormant beast, Ironfur Vulpine] [You have received a Memory: Ironscale Fang] Orren’s eyes widened slightly.
His first kill had already rewarded him with a Memory.
He quickly retrieved the spear and looked toward the notification with excitement before focusing on the newly acquired Memory.
It was a weapon.
That alone made him extremely happy.
Without hesitation, he summoned it.
A dark, sharp dagger materialized in his hand.
Its blade had a strange metallic sheen, and despite its simple appearance, Orren could feel that it was far superior to any ordinary weapon.
However, he did not have time to examine it further.
The remaining Vulpine had already noticed him.
With an angry growl, the beast charged toward him at full speed.
Orren did not try to fight it head-on.
Instead, he threw the dagger directly at the approaching creature.
The attack missed the head, but the blade still cut deeply into the beast’s maw.
Blood spilled as its lower jaw hung awkwardly, yet the Vulpine continued its charge without slowing down.
Its instincts pushed it forward even through the injury.
By the time the creature reached him, its massive paw was already swinging downward.
At the last moment, Orren dismissed the Memory and ducked beneath the strike, rolling across the ground to avoid the attack.
He immediately attempted to summon Ironscale Fang again, but the process was not instant.
The weapon began forming in his hand, but it was too slow.
By the time it fully appeared, the Vulpine would already be on top of him.
Without hesitation, Orren changed his plan.
He pulled one of the knives strapped to his waist and threw it at the charging beast.
At such a close distance, the knife struck with far greater accuracy.
The blade pierced directly through the creature’s eye.
The Vulpine let out a pained roar, but it did not die immediately.
Its momentum carried it forward, bringing its massive body dangerously close to Orren.
The beast’s remaining claw moved toward him.
Just as the attack was about to land, the Memory finished materializing.
Orren grabbed the dagger and drove it upward with all his strength, stabbing directly into the creature’s neck.
[You have slain a dormant beast, Ironfur Vulpine] “Huff… huff…” Orren took deep breaths as he looked at the corpse in front of him.
His body was still tense from the fight, and although the danger had passed, he did not let his guard down.
The forest was still a dangerous place, and another beast could appear at any moment.
After catching his breath, he took out a knife and began cutting into the corpse to search for its core.
His movements were careful and efficient, as he did not want to waste time while staying in an area where the smell of blood would eventually attract other creatures.
“There.” After some searching, he finally found a small shimmering gemstone hidden inside the beast’s body.
The sight immediately confirmed what he had learned from the academy.
A Soul Shard.
He placed it safely in his pocket before walking over to the corpse of the first Ironfur Vulpine.
After retrieving the second core, he stored it alongside the first one.
He did not stay there for long.
Once he finished cutting out the usable meat, he placed it into the leather bag he had brought with him and immediately left the area.
Staying near two fresh corpses was simply asking for trouble.
The scent of blood would inevitably attract other beasts, and he had no reason to fight unnecessary battles.
A few minutes later, Orren emerged from the forest and headed straight back toward his hut.
Once inside, he closed the door and finally allowed himself to relax.
He sat down on the bed and waited for the adrenaline coursing through his body to fade.
While resting, he decided to properly examine the Memory he had obtained from his first kill.
He summoned it and focused on the runes floating before him.
Memory: [Ironscale Fang].
Memory Rank: Dormant.
Memory Type: Weapon.
Memory Description: [A crude dagger fashioned from the fang of an Ironfur Vulpine.
Dark metallic veins spread across the jagged blade, granting it unnatural durability.] Orren looked at the description carefully.
‘Well, now I at least have a weapon capable of easily injuring dormant beasts.’ Mundane weapons could only do so much against creatures empowered by the Nightmare Spell.
Even if they were sharp enough to cut flesh, they lacked the strength and durability needed to properly harm monsters of the same rank.
A Memory, however, was different.
A weapon created from the remains of a dormant beast naturally carried power close to its own level.
Against another dormant creature, it could become a deadly weapon.
Orren leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
‘If my guess is right, then I’ll be spending around a year inside this Nightmare.’ The thought itself was not a problem.
In fact, having an entire year to prepare was an advantage.
However, he quickly reached another conclusion.
‘No matter how much time I have, there is very little I can accomplish in the final battles as just a dormant human.’ He sighed and let himself fall back onto the bed.
The only way to achieve an exceptional appraisal was to stand out.
And simply surviving would not be enough.
‘The only way I can think of getting a great appraisal is by awakening naturally.’ Unlike Sunny’s sister Rain, who had awakened without the help of the Nightmare Spell, Orren had an advantage that almost no one else possessed.
He already knew how the process worked.
Not only did he know how to awaken naturally, but he also had access to Memories.
The more he thought about the possibilities, the wider the grin on his face became.
‘I don’t know where exactly I am in Shadow Slave’s timeline, but let’s hope it’s before Rain’s awakening.
If I awaken naturally before someone who is considered a unique case, then the Nightmare Spell should recognize it as something unprecedented.’ Of course, that was only an assumption.
But it was a possibility worth pursuing.
‘The simplest way to awaken quickly is to consume soul shards and absorb the soul essence inside them.
Then I just need to repeatedly mix it with my own soul essence until I have enough to form a soul core.’ Orren sat upright on the edge of his bed and took out the two soul shards he had obtained earlier.
He examined them for a moment before taking a deep breath and crushing one in his hand.
Closing his eyes, he focused completely on the changes within his body.
For a brief moment, he felt something.
A faint stream of energy entered him.
He assumed it was soul essence, but the sensation disappeared almost instantly, leaving him unable to properly grasp it.
He crushed the second soul shard and tried again.
The result was the same.
He could feel something entering his body, but only for a short moment before it vanished.
Orren opened his eyes and looked at his empty hand.
“Well, it’s to be expected.” He was not disappointed.
“Just the fact that I could sense it on my first attempt is good enough for now.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Lost_01 Have some idea about my story?
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