Erich’s teeth ground together as he stared at the ceiling of the tiny cave. His entire body still ached, but the light and life mana from his image had beaten back the worst of the parasite’s influence. The process had taken at least a couple of hours, the plant was stubborn and refused to admit defeat leading to it surging and fighting back against him three times after the first counterattack, but each resurgence was weaker than the last.

  The back and forth battles were awful. The demonic flower’s energy would infiltrate Erich’s muscles and organs only for his light mana to drive it back out, buying his life mana room to repair the damage, over and over again. After the first hour, Erich was entirely convinced. Any imp or ordinary martial artist that didn’t return to the forest or spawning pool to sacrifice their life would’ve died a dog’s death as the flower ate them from within. The only reason he had survived was that he could use both light and life magic simultaneously.

  Without the light mana, Erich wouldn’t have been able to resist the strange energy in the seeds, and without the life element he wouldn’t have survived the damage that resistance had dealt to his body. After fighting it for hours, he’d come to the conclusion that the seeds were constructs of life and dark mana. Using the power of life on its own would’ve led to Erich’s power being co-opted by the parasite and used against him. Rather than repairing damage, his mana would have encouraged the growth and corruption caused by the seed.

  Still, he had survived where most others would have died. Without Sathis’ help to reform his image, Erich wouldn’t have even made it to the cave. Appreciation and loss mingled together in his chest as Erich prepared for the final push to expel the seeds from his body.

  He paused as he marshaled his energy. That is all it would take. One final rush of life mana to break down the clumps of malevolent aether left behind by the fruits he had eaten.

  It seemed like a waste though. True, Erich could turn the seeds into aether and consume them, but that would only help him in the long run. His image had reached the second tier. It would be impossible to reach the third tier without months of constant conflict, but even then, advancing his image again without a technique to accompany it would be a colossal waste. Erich would lose his ability to gain another art forever.

  His thoughts couldn’t help but return to the sensation of the parasitic plant continually destroying his body even as his life mana rebuilt it. It was just like the red-eyed demon gecko he had fought earlier. Erich’s wounds were healing in the blink of an eye, and he could feel the damaged flesh growing stronger and more resilient each time he rebuilt it.

  There was something strange there. He could feel the resilience of the swaying pines from his image emanating from his rebuilt muscles, but there was also the sulfurous fragments of hell itself. The poison from the jungle thorns lingered in his body, subdued and dormant, alongside the still struggling seeds of the demonic flowers.

  The poison and seeds had tried to kill him, but after his image hand progressed, Erich had a better feel for them. Both were fundamentally made of life mana tinged with darkness. Sathis hadn’t talked much about the elements that Erich couldn’t use, but even if he hadn’t learned about darkness mana in theory, the last couple of hours had provided Erich with enough practical experience with the insidious magic for Erich to write an entire book.

  Darkness and light were the only two elements that didn’t focus primarily on enhancing the physical characteristics of the martial artist that used them. Rather, they served as a conduit between aether and mana, increasing the flow of mana while slightly changing its properties. Erich’s light affinity could be used to purify and enhance his condition while dark mana would hinder and curse its target.

  Life mana on the other hand was simply the energy generated by living beings. It could be used for good or ill. A powerful ox pulling a plow was just as accurate a representation of the life element as the poisonous mushroom that could kill the same beast in a matter of seconds if eaten. It was all just a matter of how the power of life was utilized.

  Erich’s mind briefly went back to the Oak Body technique that his old teacher Elias had been developing. He had studied its contents for years, trying to complete the technique alongside the Green River school in the vain hope of having an art of his own once he finally advanced to the second tier.

  He could complete the technique in an instant, but Elias’ work and notes seemed far too simple. An amateurish attempt by someone that barely understood the life element that he was trying to channel. The Oak Body would strengthen Erich’s skin into armor akin to the bark of a hundred year old oak tree and it would give him great reserves of stamina.

  But that was it.

  According to Sathis, Erich wasn’t a prodigy of the life element the way he was with fire and lighting, but compared to Elias’ skill, he might as well be a once in a century genius. He could tell in an instant why Elias wasn’t able to complete the technique. Although the Oak Body that his instructor had been working on was a useful technique, it would have made the practitioner’s body rigid and stiff. It was an art that suited warriors that specialized in powerful slow movements, designed to let them shrug off the attacks of their quicker opponents as they gathered the strength to end their battles in one massive blow.

  The Green River School specialized primarily in water arts. The techniques associated with the school focused on agility and smooth dexterous counter attacks. Even the Swaying Willow Blade, a life element sword skill, ultimately revolved around the supple grace and adaptability of trees that moved with a gale rather than fighting against it.

  There wasn’t any way for the Winding Stream Sword to co-exist with Oak Body. The techniques both emphasized different extremes. Eventually Elias might have figured out how to use both abilities simultaneously, but rather than complimenting each other, each technique would weaken its companion.

  Erich didn’t need the incomplete Oak Body. He closed his eyes, brushing his perception over the traces of poison and corrupted energy that lingered in his body before turning his attention fully to the infernal seeds that were embedded deep in his stomach.

  The giant purple flower wanted to either devour him or use his body to create a new generation of imps, wasn’t it only fair for him to consume the flower’s energy instead? After all, that was the power he needed. Fortitude and stamina wouldn’t be enough on their own. If Erich was going to make a proper body strengthening art, it would also need to include the adaptability and regeneration that he could feel from the seeds.

  He pushed inward, grasping ahold of the struggling clumps of aether that the fruit had left behind. The seeds struck back, reacting on animalistic instinct as they tried to free themselves from the grasp of Erich’s mana.

  An hour ago, he wouldn’t have had enough control to keep the seeds firmly under control, but now their efforts were little more than an annoyance. The stars glittered in his image and light mana flowed into the seeds, breaking through their shells and stabbing into the pure aether that lay beneath.

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  For a second they resisted. Roots burst out of the spheres of aether only for Erich’s energy to dissolve them in a heartbeat. Then, the dark mana surrounding the seeds exhausted itself, and Erich’s mana began to feast on the aether within.

  His image began to sharpen once again, but Erich quickly redirected the energy, instead aiming it at his aching arms and legs. The traces of poison came to life for a moment only to instantly be purified by the light mana that filled Erich’s body. His muscles began to burn as the poison seeped into them, but it was no longer the feverish and debilitating pain he had suffered during his fights in the miniature jungle. Instead, it was the deep healthy burn that he associated with a long workout.

  Skin and muscle absorbed the aether and life mana, transforming as more and more energy washed over them. He could feel his skin and muscles hardening, but at the same time the new thick muscle was more supple and agile than ever before. Remnants of poison washed over his organs, infusing them with the faintest memory of the toxins even as the aether stimulated them to new heights.

  Each breath brought in more air as Erich’s lungs widened. A rush of exhilaration filled him as his circulatory system evolved, bringing more oxygen to his brain. He could almost feel his veins widening to accommodate the extra blood that started pumping from his strengthening heart.

  The aether in his stomach was dwindling. Erich’s transformation was burning through the energy faster and faster as his body continued to change. Finally, when there was only a trickle left, his growth abruptly stopped.

  A smile lit his face as he gently guided the last dregs of the aether toward his image. Finally, he had truly stepped into the second tier. The body strengthening technique he’d developed while recovering from the infectious seeds wasn’t nearly as strong as the sword style that he’d inherited from Sathis, but even if it was weaker, he could feel that it was almost as important.

  Erich’s body unclenched and he rolled over, slowly crawling out of the small cave. He could feel the changes before he even stood up. His body stood an inch or two taller than before, and boundless energy seemed to fill Erich with each thumping beat of his heart.

  He wasn’t any stronger or faster than before, but Erich felt like he could run for days on end without stopping, like he could climb an entire mountain without pausing to eat or catch his breath. Erich reached down and picked up a shard of sharp orange stone from near the mouth of the cave. He pressed its edge against his skin, and rather than cutting through and drawing blood, the rock simply left a white mark.

  The rock clattered against the hillside as he dropped it. With a smooth, practiced motion he drew his sword. He flipped his arm over and ran the edge of the blade over his outstretched limb. It took noticeably more effort to draw blood than the masterwork blade than it should have, but ultimately, Erich’s effort was successful.

  As he watched, the wound stopped bleeding after a couple of seconds before the cut began to stitch itself together, drawing mana on its own from his image as it began to heal. Erich nodded slowly as he watched the process, taking stock of the changes to his body. His skin was as hard as boiled leather without losing any of its elasticity. More than that, Erich could feel the faintest hints of purified poison deep inside his internal organs. Instinctively, he could tell that his body had gained a resistance against poisons and toxins.

  Even if he were to run through the forests that lined the river, Erich no longer had anything to fear. His skin might not be strong and resilient enough to stop a sword or an ax, but it would resist claws and thorns. If his skin failed, the rest of his body would shrug off or heal any damage caused by the poison.

  If he really wanted to, Erich could probably eat more of the demonic fruit without any permanent harm. The thought made him shudder. Right now he had the ability to purify the tainted energy of the seeds, but that didn’t mean that the process would be safe or painless. It was hard for him to forget the suffering he had just gone through in order to save himself from the flowers’ influence and to ascend to the second tier.

  It would be better for him to focus on increasing his skill and tier in a more traditional manner. Natural absorption and killing monsters both would help push him toward the third tier without any risk of mental influence or leaving him weak and helpless when a threat was nearby. He had gotten lucky that nothing tried to interrupt him while he had hidden himself in the cave. Even the weakest of imps could have easily killed Erich if they had found his hiding spot while the seeds incapacitated him.

  Erich bounced up and down on his toes, making sure that the changes to his body weren’t interfering with his flexibility. Once he was fairly sure that his range of movement was unimpeded, he dropped into the guard stance of Magma Blossom.

  His blade whistled through the air, leaving a faint red afterimage as Erich went through the first couple of sword forms. No matter whether he was thrusting, slashing, or parrying, each of Erich’s movements was quicker and crisper. The air itself seemed to whip and snap as he switched to a chain of quick, precise attacks.

  He switched up his movements yet again, his quick lunges and thrusts transforming into the savage hacks and slashes that made Magma Blossom so deadly. Each swing of his sword seemed to leave a faint heat mirage behind it, and even though Erich’s actual skill with the sword hadn’t really improved, his increased physical abilities were enough to transform the sword style into something significantly more deadly.

  Finally satisfied, he sheathed his blade once again. Erich was barely breathing hard and despite the heat, he wasn’t really sweating. Compared to his initial struggles when he set foot in hell, the foreboding environment felt more like an inconvenience than an existential threat.

  Erich reached up to brush a strand of hair from his face. It was a little strange not to be covered in sweat after such a strenuous workout, but it was a small mercy he’d gladly accept.

  His hand came away wet. Erich looked down, pursing his lips as he saw the crimson of half-dried blood staining his fingers.

  A thrill of panic ran through him for a second, but rational thought quickly replaced it. Erich’s hand reached back up again, index and middle finger running over his cheeks to touch his nose, lips and the bottom of his right eye. Gradually a picture began to form without the benefit of a glass or stream to reflect Erich’s image.

  The skin under his nose, eyes and mouth were all wet with fresh blood. There wasn’t any leftover pain, but it must have leaked out while he was purifying the seeds, but Erich hadn’t even noticed.

  He looked down and rubbed his fingers together. His right hand was soaked with blood, sticky between his index finger and thumb. Erich closed his hand into a fist.

  His shirt was long gone, he’d ripped it off of his chest in the jungle before running out into the wastes, but now his pants had more or less joined it. The leather was torn and ragged from Erich dragging himself into the cave. It wasn’t much more than strips hanging loosely off of his thighs.

  The reality of his situation loomed over him. Erich had almost died. He knew that, but the full extent of what he’d gone through was only just beginning to dawn on him. The adrenaline and pain had drowned out most of what was happening around him, but Erich’s body had practically torn itself apart and reassembled itself like a jigsaw puzzle. If he hadn’t progressed to the second tier, the mana roots would have overwhelmed him. If he didn't have access to the light element, the parasite would have forced him out of the cave. If an imp had followed him, it would have killed and eaten him in a second. If he couldn’t use the light element, his body would have broken like a dropped vase, shattering into pieces that he could never reassemble.

  But he had lived. He had faced his trials head on and prevailed, coming out stronger on the other end. Where his friends and masters had died to strokes of bad luck, he had thrived. The absurdity of the situation hit him with the force of a typhoon.

  Erich chuckled, the sound transforming into a full-throated laugh as he wiped the blood on his hands off on the leather strips that had been his pants. One by one he ripped the useless strands of leather off, tossing them to the side as he shook his head. Finally, when he was wearing little more than a loin cloth, Erich stopped picking at his clothes.

  His armor was gone. His sword was gone. The small metal plate that marked his rank in the imperial army was gone. His body was stained with blood, grime and dry sweat, and Erich looked feral, like he belonged in hell.

  There was nothing to identify him as a warrior from Hollendil, and after his body’s transformation in the small cave, there was no promise that his family would even recognize him anymore. He was completely reborn, a new man without a past and with an unclear future stretching out before him.

  The only thing that was certain, was that Erich had a long road ahead of him.