Dropping from the tree, he rushed forward at full speed, Ironscale Fang in his right hand and a shield strapped to his left arm.
He knew the crabs would not last much longer, and once they fell, he would be left alone against the awakened beast.
Using the chaos of the fight as cover, he closed the distance and leapt onto the lizard’s back.
Without hesitation, he drove Ironscale Fang deep into its flesh.
The beast let out a deafening roar and violently reared upward, throwing Orren off its back.
He hit the ground hard, rolling once before recovering, and immediately dismissed the embedded dagger, only to summon it again in the next instant.
By now, the lizard was heavily wounded.
Blood poured from multiple injuries, and it would likely have died if left alone.
That had been Orren’s plan: withdraw and let the wounds finish the job.
But the beast did not allow it.
Instead of collapsing, it dropped back onto all fours and charged with sudden, explosive speed.
In an instant, it was in front of him, maw wide open.
There was no time to evade.
Orren reacted on instinct, thrusting Ironscale Fang vertically into its mouth just as it closed its jaws.
The blade sank deep into its upper jaw, piercing upward through bone and flesh until it jutted out near the top of its skull.
The creature let out a piercing shriek as its momentum finally broke.
[You have slain an awakened monster, Venomhide Tyrant.] [You have received an…] Orren did not even look at the notification.
His attention was fixed entirely on the pain spreading through his right arm.
The lizard’s jaws had not fully closed thanks to the embedded dagger, but they had still managed to clamp down hard enough to tear through flesh.
His arm was mangled, blood soaking through the torn fabric as pain shot through his entire body.
Swallowing the pain, he forced himself upright and moved toward the remaining crabs.
Two of them were still alive, though barely able to move.
Without hesitation, he ended them one by one with precise strikes to the head.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Ruinclaw.] [You have slain an awakened beast, Ruinclaw.] The bodies finally fell still.
Orren exhaled heavily, but there was no time to rest.
Using his left hand, he tied his injured arm against his torso and shoulder to stabilize it as best as he could before beginning to extract the soul shards.
‘I need to get out of here.’ That single thought pushed him forward.
He turned and made his way out of the forest, each step heavier than the last.
By the time he reached the edge of the town, his vision had already begun to blur, and his body felt like it was about to give out entirely.
As he reached the gates, the world tilted violently.
Darkness crept into his vision.
‘Fuck.’ …… He woke up groggily, blinking the sleep from his eyes.
The room that came into view was unfamiliar, with a faint medicinal scent lingering in the air.
‘Someone must have picked me up from the gate and brought me here.
I came pretty close to losing my arm this time.’ He immediately looked down at his right arm, expecting to see bandages, stitches, or at least signs of damage.
Instead, he found nothing.
The skin was completely intact, as if he had never been injured at all.
He flexed his fingers, then rotated his arm slowly, testing its movement.
‘It’s completely healed.
How long was I out?’ For a moment, he considered it, but quickly dismissed the thought.
“Ah, well.
Doesn’t really matter.” His priorities shifted immediately.
“Let’s check what I got from killing that huge lizard.” He called up his runes.
Name: Orren Veil True Name: — Rank: Aspirant.
Soul Core: Dormant.
Memories: Ironscale Fang Echoes: [Venomhide Tyrant].
Attributes: [Unanchored], [Mark of Divinity], [Mist-Touched].
Aspect: [Wayfarer].
Aspect Description: [You walk paths others fail to notice.
Where direction falters and certainty fades, your steps remain strangely correct.
The world does not guide you, yet it allows you to proceed where others would become lost.] ‘It… isn’t a Memory.
It’s an Echo.’ A beat of silence passed before the realization fully sank in.
‘A FUCKING ECHO.’ The thought exploded in his mind.
He quickly shifted his focus to the new entry, forcing himself to examine it properly.
Echo: [Venomhide Tyrant].
Echo Type: Beast.
Echo Core: Awakened.
Echo Attributes: [Sudden Lunge], [Corrosive Venom], [Granite Hide].
[Sudden Lunge] Attribute Description: [The Venomhide Tyrant can accelerate with terrifying speed over short distances.] [Corrosive Venom] Attribute Description: [Its bite carries a venom that slowly weakens flesh and erodes armor.] [Granite Hide] Attribute Description: [Its hide is as hard as stone, allowing it to withstand tremendous physical damage.] Echo Description: [A massive reptilian abomination covered in dark, stone-like scales.
Its maw constantly drips strands of pale venom capable of melting flesh, while its heavy body moves with terrifying speed for a creature of its size.] Orren’s expression broke almost instantly.
“HAHAHAHA…” Laughter escaped him before he could stop it.
He leaned back slightly, completely overwhelmed by the absurdity of his luck.
A Memory was already valuable enough, but an Echo—something that could be summoned repeatedly—was on an entirely different level.
He was still laughing when the door opened.
Two people walked in.
Orren did not notice them at first.
“Ya brat, have you gone mad?” The familiar voice snapped him out of it immediately.
He sat upright in a hurry, coughing slightly as he regained control of himself.
“Oh, Teacher Zane.
Hello.” Zane stood with his usual stern expression, but beside him was another figure Orren did not recognize immediately.
A woman with long blonde hair, pale skin, and clothing far too refined for someone in a small forest settlement.
Her presence alone made the room feel more formal.
‘A noble?’ “Um… hello,” Orren added cautiously.
“Is that how you thank someone who saved your life?” Zane said sharply.
Orren blinked, then understood immediately.
‘So she’s the one who healed me.’ He turned toward the woman and lowered his head slightly.
“Thank you for healing me.” The woman only smiled faintly and nodded in acknowledgment.
Zane, however, did not look satisfied.
“Now explain what you were doing fighting a Venomhide Tyrant.
Didn’t you learn to stay away from monsters like that?” His tone was stern, almost reprimanding.
Orren paused for a moment as he searched his memory.
He did recall hearing the name before in passing, but no detailed information came to mind.
It was likely something taught in class before he had properly settled into this body’s life.
“It was a coincidence,” Orren said carefully.
“I happened to come across it while hunting.” “You killed it, didn’t you?” the woman asked suddenly.
Before Orren could answer, Zane interjected.
“What are you talking about, my lady?
Even an awakened human would struggle against a Venomhide Tyrant.
Someone who hasn’t even awakened yet has no chance.” The woman did not respond to him.
Her gaze remained fixed on Orren, calm and observant, as if waiting for him to speak the truth.
Orren felt the pressure of that silence.
He cleared his throat.
“Ahem… it was already heavily injured when I found it.
It had fought three other awakened beasts and was already near death, so I just delivered the final blow.” He deliberately downplayed his role, keeping his tone casual.
“And even then, I underestimated it.
As you saw, I nearly got myself killed.” Zane still looked somewhat stunned, but the explanation seemed acceptable enough.
The woman gave a small nod, as though noting something internally.
“You can leave now that you’ve recovered,” she said calmly.
“But I recommend resting properly.” “Ah, yes,” Orren replied quickly.
Without wasting any more time, he slipped out of the room.
Only once he was outside did he finally exhale.
Apparently, he had only been unconscious for three hours.
It was still night.
Fortunately, his belongings had not been taken.
He retrieved the awakened cores and returned to his usual routine.
Seated in his hut, he began meditating while crushing the soul shards one by one.
The difference was immediate.
Compared to dormant cores, awakened ones contained far denser and more potent soul essence.
The moment he absorbed it, he could feel a significant change in how easily it circulated through his body.
It was smoother, stronger, and far more stable.
For the first time, progress did not feel painfully slow.
He continued meditating for about an hour before finally allowing himself to rest and drift into sleep.
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