Hunting a monster

As Adrian waved the branch, he couldn't help but marvel at the pleasant feel of it in his hands. After playing around for a few more moments, he closed his eyes, reflecting on what he had witnessed in the initial dream, the first memory.

Behind the blue door was a library—filled to the brim with books. The sheer multitude of books left Adrian feeling dizzy, although Vyrtalis seemed unaffected by the overwhelming sight.

If Adrian were to define Vyrtalis in one word, he would say "genius." Vyrtalis possessed such intellect that Adrian couldn't fathom how someone could have such an immense mind.

Vyrtalis didn't just read books. If it had been solely about reading, Adrian might not have thought much of it. However, Vyrtalis not only read the books but also crafted his own notes with improvisations—that was truly something remarkable.

All those books were about how to create a relic and how to transform an already made relic into something else. This surprised Adrian because he had always thought that relics were naturally occurring.

'Or they actually are nature made but you can make your own as well?'

Vyrtalis shared the same thought, and he was equally shocked as Adrian, but that wasn't the focal point.

The crucial point was that one needed a core and core energy to create a relic, and Vyrtalis lacked both.

The motherfucker genius pulled a move that neither the author of those books nor Adrian had anticipated. Vyrtalis used his own blood to create the relics.

Blood was a natural source of energy, a fact known to everyone in their circle. Reading the books had made Vyrtalis adaptable enough to conceive such ideas, even though he had no prior knowledge of such a world in the beginning.

According to the books, one was supposed to create intricate diagrams or similar patterns inside the object intended to become a relic using their energy. For instance, the branch in Adrian's hand right now.

Vyrtalis deviated from the prescribed method. Instead, he drew diagrams on the ground using his own blood and placed the cores on those diagrams, a technique that surprisingly proved effective for him. The blood seemed to function as a substitute for the absence of his own core energy.

This revelation also clarified how Adrian had been utilizing his cane. The needle, the presumed locked relic he carried everywhere, drew his blood each time it needed to be activated.

However, there was a twist to this.

"Why would one bother making a relic themselves when it's such a tedious task, involving the intricate linking of diagrams with their core energy and everything? Then, why?" 

Because a self-made relic was truly yours. It bore the brand of your core energy, making it possible to be kept inside your soul sea.

Whoever conducted this research was truly remarkable. Now, the pressing question was, where would Adrian find the cores to be used with this branch?

You guessed it right, monsters.

It was finally time for Adrian to delve into the forest that he had been neglecting for so long. Although he wasn't fully prepared for it, he had to face it. He possessed a power that set him apart from others, and he was determined to unravel its uses..

He had glimpses of it when he fought Henry and that enigmatic gentle tablet person. On both occasions, he had exhibited abilities that he wasn't consciously aware of.

Getting up, Adrian looked at the heels and realized he could use them to his advantage. "Can you take me to a place with monsters around my power level?" he asked, recognizing that he couldn't simply start exploring for monsters without any information.

After a few moments of waiting, the heels began to move. Observing their motion, Adrian followed closely behind. Unsure whether the heels were aware of his power level or not, he decided to follow nonetheless.

As he ventured deeper into the forest, the moment he left the protective sphere of the tree, Adrian started to hear sounds around him. However, he wasn't as worried about it anymore, having gained some confidence in the heels, if not in himself.

Further into the distance, Adrian finally spotted a monster that he should have noticed from the beginning. It was a rock with tiny rock hands and tiny rock legs, its head covered in grass resembling hair.

Observing it from a distance, Adrian recognized that this was an easy target. Without allowing the heels to approach it, Adrian melded into the shadows and emerged directly from the shadow of the rock monster.

Suddenly, a realization dawned upon him. "How should I attack it? I don't have any weapons!" Adrian shouted as he dove into the shadow of a nearby tree.

"Should I try controlling shadows?" Adrian pondered.

Without much contemplation, he directed his focus, compelling the shadows surrounding the monster to respond. Although it required some exertion, he achieved success as the shadows began to stir, seemingly imbued with a life of their own.

Contemplating the potential capabilities of his newfound abilities, Adrian fashioned a net from the shadows encircling the monster. With a determined intention, he commanded the shadowy construct to envelop and ensnare the rock creature.

Upon the net's descent onto the monster, it belatedly recognized an impending threat. Fumbling in slow motion, the rock creature attempted to extricate itself, but its feeble power and sluggish movements rendered any escape futile.

Adrian, observing the ensnared monster, couldn't shake the realization of its inherent weakness.

Adrian tightened the net of shadows around the monster, expecting some resistance or struggle, but the rock creature remained immobilized without any visible reaction.

Adrian contemplated whether to infuse more energy into the shadows, realizing that the current strength might not be sufficient to subdue the rock monster effectively.

The shadows weren't merely responding to his will; they were consuming his core energy at a rapid rate as he attempted to control them. Undeterred, Adrian made an effort to infuse more energy into the net, but it proved insufficient.

Attempting a different approach, Adrian commanded the shadows beneath the rock monster to animate and engulf it.

As the darkness enveloped the space beneath the looming monster, Adrian brimmed with anticipation, recognizing that mastering this technique would be pivotal in his ongoing battle against such creatures while he continued to explore innovative approaches to combat them.

While Adrian patiently waited, he observed the rock monster slowly slipping into the shadows. Despite its determined efforts to break free, the creature found itself entangled in a net, impeding its movements and rendering escape elusive.

As the rock monster became fully immersed in the shadows, Adrian, concealed in the darkness, swiftly advanced towards the now-shadowed creature. His keen perception revealed a small core within the monster's body, signaling to him that there was a living entity concealed within the shadows.

Something non-shadow. 

Approaching the seemingly ailing monster enveloped by the shadows, Adrian wasted no time. He thrust his hand into its form, extracting the vital core that lay hidden within, causing the creature to convulse in what appeared to be the throes of demise due to the pervasive darkness.

With the extraction of the core, the monster succumbed to its fate and perished, its existence extinguished in the wake of Adrian's decisive action.

'That was easier than I anticipated.'

Contemplating the situation, Adrian discerned the lingering presence of the monster's shadow. Placing his hand upon it, he closed his eyes. A subtle transformation occurred within him as the remaining energy caused a stirring within Adrian's own core. 

In response, the residual shadow of the monster disintegrated into particles, being absorbed by Adrian in a mysterious exchange of energies.

In a seamless integration of energies, the remnants of the monster, both tangible and shadow, dissipated entirely. The life force that once animated the creature vanished, leaving no trace behind.