Orion stood beside the massive corpse of a Peak Tier 8 beast, taking a few deep breaths. The enormous creature resembled an odd mixture of a rhino and a deer, its body armored with thick, metallic hide and powerful muscles that radiated a dense residual pressure even after death.
Orion wiped away the sweat trickling down his brow and shook his head lightly, a sense of satisfaction spreading through him.
"That was tougher than expected," he murmured softly, flexing his arms to ease the lingering tension.
The beast had pushed him to his limits physically; he'd deliberately restrained his mana cultivation, fighting purely to temper his body and refine his combat instincts. It was a risky fight, but the results were undeniably rewarding.
It had now been more than a week since Orion had begun his training deep in the wilderness, yet there was still no trace of Edgar or Lucan.
