A Fresh Start

Jun opened his eyes with some difficulties. After getting through all the pain in his head, the energy ran out and he lost the effects of the stimulant. So he collapsed directly.

He then dragged his painful body to sit next to one of the walls. 'It does not seem like I'm almighty...' The first change Jun felt was that his hunger and thirst had multiplied. He wanted to get up and search for food or water but his mind became foggy again and he fell asleep.

As he woke up for the second time, he tried to move and didn't encounter much resistance. He got up and started practicing a few simple physical exercises to retrieve some lightness. While doing so, he was interrupted by the weak voice of Nox Julius.

"Boy... Listen to me... I don't have much time since you took me much more energy than I thought. The surgery didn't make you stronger... But will allow you to evolve at a mind-blowing pace. So cultivate your stamina and strength as much as possible in the next few days... As you still have your growth period to go through, your senses will develop much more than the average.

All right, that's about all. Now, I need to tell you what is the message and to whom you should transmit. Listen closely... Go to Rising Sun Empire and request an audience with the Emperor. Tell him that the Holy Sword must be planted in the Altar of the Saints. The rest is up to fate... Okay... This is it... Respect our agreement, brat. Or I won't let you live in peace..."

Jun groaned when he heard the last part. 'When did I agree with anything...' But in his heart the last wish of Nox Julius the Annihilator was carved deep as he would not forget to repay him for his gift. 'You old swindler...'

Afterwards there was only darkness again. Jun looked up at the place where the entrance should be. 'It's still there. I bet it enjoyed listening to my screaming. Good, I'm starving. But first, some exercises.' He intended to apply the recommendations the hologram gave him. He knew as he felt his body that it would quickly grow stronger as long as he trained it well.

So he practiced hard for two days, letting his hunger and thirst serve as motivation. He worked evenly every muscles of his body, enjoying the pleasure of feeling his strength and abilities go up easily.

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'Should be enough.' Jun tested his fists by hitting the wall as hard as he could and nodded with satisfaction as he felt the twelve inches-deep imprint he left. He looked at the ceiling with a smile. 'Your turn, big guy.'

He made his fingers sink in the wall to get a good grip then, one foot after another, one hand after the other, he slowly but constantly went up. In complete silence, he had arrived near the hole and stopped. He verified his left hand grip then raised his right fist, gathering all the strength he had in reserve.

When he felt ready, he breathed deeply and hit as hard as he could. His hand broke through a stone-like layer of skin and into its flesh. What followed was the loudest roar he had ever heard. The mammoth-like animal had been surprised in its nap by an atrocious pain in its flank.

It immediately tried to get rid of the bug that pierced its flesh like tofu and got up while carrying Jun who followed the movement. He could not let go otherwise the giant beast would trample on him out of rage.

Determined to kill the animal as fast as possible, he sank his other hand in the flesh as far as he could to enlarge the hole. When it was big enough he passed his head then all the body, digging deeper and deeper.

The beast screamed to the death feeling this insect twisting its insides. It smashed many times against the boulder to kill Jun but it was too late since he had already disappeared into its body. Quickly, it started to vacillate and slow down. And finally the hill-sized monster fell down, dead.

Jun got out of its body from the same way he got in. 'Dinner is ready.' He intended to eat it entirely to fill in his desperately empty stomach. But he could not do that right here in the open without attracting countless predators enticed by the smell of blood. So he cut a few large pieces of its flesh barehanded then threw all of it in the hole. When he thought he had enough, he jumped in.

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"Haaa... Awesome." Jun was lying down on the floor, breathing loudly in gratification. He had eaten all the flesh and drank all the blood before finally being full. All the nutrients disappeared as soon as he digested them, making him look like a bottomless pit. But now he couldn't feel greater.

'Time to grow stronger.' After a short digesting nap he came back to the surface with caution. 'They really ate everything.' What he had not taken of the body had been almost completely eaten, with only a few bones left. He needed to act quietly because those who had come to feast were perhaps still close and he had no idea how many they were.

'Which way ? I still need to find fresh water.' As he hesitated which way to go, he threw a small bone in the air and watched it fall. 'This one ? It's decided then.' Jun soon disappeared again in the wild vegetation.

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Karin ran in the forest, fleeing from the abomination behind him. A nine feet long snake with black scales was crawling only a few yards from him. Its palm-sized fangs were pointing out of its mouth and he was spitting poisonous saliva at the hopeless boy.

Right when it was about to reach him and catch him, Karin shouted hurriedly. "Now ! Do it now !" As soon as he shouted, somewhere in the trees a cutting sound resounded. With a surgical precision, the snake was immediately crushed by a thick trunk that fell over him with a speed that let it no way to dodge.

"Perfect guys ! We finally can eat something !" As Karin approached the snake body in glee, ten other youths left their hideout and hurried to take their share.

"Wait !" When he heard this voice, Karin knew trouble was on the way.

"What do you want, Sylas ?"

A seventeen year old boy with good presence and strong physique laughed while walking calmly towards the group. Another boy and a girl were by his sides.

"Ha ha! What do I want ? Only the food to be fairly distributed, that's all."