Surgit woke up outside the academy . The lantern by his side emitted a bright blue light while it hummed, like a gas lantern . The creature he just fought was called a spider, but it didn"t look like one, not even remotely . It looked like a giant rat with tiny feet . Everything beyond the forbidden forest looked strangely deformed .

The snake summoning shadows were the first, followed by the fly-like creatures . He received help from his alter-self, the monster that threatened to take over . But the monster declared he was done helping unless the hunter asked for it . Surgit was determined to never ask for his a.s.sistance . He could do just fine by himself . All he needed was to gather enough echoes and transform them into his own strength .

He wondered whether or not he should go back to that lake and fight the spider . All he had to do was avoid those annoying meteors . "Rom isn"t that hard to deal with," he thought, still standing near the lantern . "I"ve gathered enough material to open a new chalice dungeon . Maybe I should go there, get stronger then come back and make short work of the spider . "

The deformed fly creatures were pacing around the academy, emitting little to no sound as they walked about . Surgit observed them from a distance . In a split second he had made his decision . He walked down toward the observatory then disposed of the patrolling fly . He opened the metallic gate leading directly inside the building before . He didn"t have to fight all the monsters on his way anymore, but he decided to do so anyway .
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"Good practice," he thought as he walked toward the pair that hid behind a large tree . If he was to dispose of all the spiders that surrounded Rom, he needed to be quick and effective . He waited for the first fly-like creature to emerge from behind the tree before he showed himself . He wanted them both to see him and attack .

His plan worked, and both creatures ran toward him . He avoided the first one and dodged the second"s swing . He didn"t want to kill them, not yet anyway . In order to grow, he needed a much better plan . He kept dodging the monsters and backing away . He was now near the entrance to the observatory . To his right, a brain-sucker lurked near a tree . To his left, there was a strange, gigantic insect . Above the insect, two other fly creatures awaited in ambush .

He got their attention, all of them, and dragged them below the Lunarium . He was surrounded by five fly-creatures, a cosmic insect and a brain-sucker . It was time to put his plan in motion . The flies were fast and could surprise him from above . The brain sucker used some kind of magic to bind his opponent . And the cosmic insect could hurl meteors at him . It was a perfect simulation for the fight against Rom .
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Two flies came at him at once . Surgit impaled the first one with his sword and punched the other one as soon as it took flight, hurling it at the brain-sucker . He turned around to deal with another fly but a bright orange light attracted his attention . He looked up too late . The meteor was too close for him to dodge and he took it head on .

He woke up near the dream lantern and repeated the same thing .

He needed to activate all his senses . He needed to antic.i.p.ate the monsters" attacks without the need to observe them . It was easier said than done . Every time he slew two beasts, the third would get him . He attempted to get rid of the cosmic insect but the brain sucker immobilized him just in time for the meteor to obliterate him .

Attempt number twenty… Frustration started building up…

"I refuse to keep losing to big monsters . This is the only way to move forward…" he kept telling himself over and over . The monster inside chuckled every time the hunter died . The monster inside didn"t show up to help, but it made sure to taunt his alter-self . Surgit tried hard to ignore the taunts and hisses (laughter he a.s.sumed), and focused on the fight ahead of him .

He was used to each monster"s attack pattern by now . What irritated him was his inability to fight them all at once without taking a hit . One hit meant losing his momentum, which inevitably ended in disaster . He learned how to dodge the flying attacks just in time to counter and slash . He learned that ducking under the energy sent by the brain-sucker meant he could avoid it . He also learned that the cosmic beast had a weakness, its head . He only had to shoot it to interrupt the meteor summoning .

Thirtieth attempt…

Surgit managed to kill all the flies and interrupted the cosmic insect"s meteor . But the brain-sucker surprised him with a back stab . He was determined to take care of them all without taking a single hit . He didn"t want to use a single blood vial to heal . This time, after thirty deaths, he had a clear idea on what to do .

"Clear your mind Surgit," he kept repeating . "Don"t overthink, don"t swing too hard . Be quick, decisive and deadly . "

He got the monsters" attention again and dragged them along under the Lunarium . It was now or never . He had to be strict with himself . He didn"t have a master to teach him the right way . He couldn"t go home and call it a day either . There was no home to go to . There were only monsters, silence, and blood, too much blood .

The monsters surrounded the hunter, circling around him . That was a first . It seemed as though they grew tired of ganging up on him . They waited for him to make the first move . But he stood in place, unmoving . His eyes were trained on the creatures in front of him . His ears were p.r.i.c.ked for any movement behind him . One hand tightly clutched a sword while the other held his pistol .

A fly ran at him while another jumped from behind . He saw the brain-sucker lift his arm in the distance . He heard that eerie metallic sound that announced the meteor summoning .

He jumped back just in time to avoid the fly that jumped at him and shot, quite blindly, his pistol at the cosmic insect . He ducked to avoid the spell then thrust his sword to the side . It connected . The blade was strategically placed, between the fly"s enormous cage of a head and its tiny neck . He had realized that it was their weak spot .

The first fly fell down, motionless . Surgit reached for the hammer that was strapped to his back and brought it down on the fly that had jumped at him . Using the momentum of the downward attack, Surgit executed a front flip and hurled his sword at the brain-sucker . Their weakness was thrust attack . The weapon got in from the chest and through the back, like a hot knife through b.u.t.ter .

The other flies were now close to the hunter who shot the first one to his right, interrupting its dash . He seized the monster by its enormous head and pushed it at the others then jumped backwards . A meteor was summoned and crashed . Surgit was well away from the explosion by the time the projectile hit the ground . He retrieved his sword from the brain-sucker"s corpse and awaited the flies that survived the meteor blast .

Two of them remained . They were running at him when he heard another humming in the distance, announcing another meteor attack . Surgit shot the cosmic insect in the head . Before the summoning, Surgit learned, a rift in the cosmos opens up by the beast"s head . One well-placed shot was enough to kill the beast . But he only had a few seconds to do so . He urged himself not to think, go with the flow, his muscles would do the rest .

Indeed, his arms rose to the appropriate level . He was in the right range, he knew it, he felt it . The bullet was released and his right arm swung at the first fly to reach him . The monster fell to its knees and Surgit thrust his sword down its gullet . The cosmic insect had disappeared . That was a good sign . His shot was well-placed . The second fly tried to swing but Surgit was faster . He shot his pistol and the beast was brought to its knees .

A visceral attack and he was done, no hits, no hustle . He"d executed his plan without overthinking it . He was ready .

"Not bad," his alter-self whispered . "I would"ve killed them in two seconds though . "

"If you"re not willing to help," Surgit replied . "I suggest you go to sleep . Leave me alone . "

"I can"t leave you alone," his beastly-self replied . "I am you . There"s nowhere for me to go to . "

"Then observe in silence . Your remarks distract me . "

"A warrior doesn"t let himself get distracted by his own demons," the beast mused .

"When did you become so benevolent?" Surgit sneered . "Why advise the person that wants to banish you?"

"The more you die, the better it is for me," the beast said .

"There you go again," Surgit scoffed, "advising me not to die . "

"No," the beast retorted . "I"m just distracting you . " Its voice was now that of mockery, of ultimate victory .

"What are you-"

Surgit had forgotten about the fly creature near the auxiliary entrance to the observatory . The commotion had attracted its attention and it found its way toward the hunter . Surgit felt the creature"s antennae dig deep inside his brain . He heard the beast"s rough, hoa.r.s.e laughter . He heard screams and other people"s jeers . He heard them banish him from their city . He heard them insult him and saw them throwing rocks at him .

Then he opened his eyes, he was in front of the observatory . The fly had just let go of him . He felt his blood boiling and his mind thinking of every terrible thing he"d ever experienced at once . He couldn"t take it anymore . He had to scream, get it out of his system .

The beast kept laughing, taunting, sneering .

Surgit screamed and felt his blood rush out of him . He fell down and darkness ensued .