Ch 58 : Hunting Trip

After dinner with his family, Auron began practicing the second layer of the Void Nexus Combat Art. This layer contained four key techniques: Endless Strikes for fist combat, Swirling Flow for palm technique, Sweeping Gale for kicks, and Phantom Dash for movement.

Endless Strikes allowed the practitioner to unleash a barrage of punches, each progressively stronger than the last. As momentum built with each strike, the punches gained the force and rhythm of crashing waves. If not intercepted, the flurry became increasingly lethal as it continued.

Swirling Flow enabled the practitioner to deflect incoming attacks by redirecting the force in circular motions. Like a whirlpool, it allowed Auron to turn his enemy's strength against them, either dissipating the energy or using it to counterattack with devastating precision.

Sweeping Gale focused on disrupting the enemy's balance. By launching a swift, surprise kick aimed at sweeping their legs, the practitioner could easily topple opponents, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.

Finally, Phantom Dash granted the ability to burst forward with extreme speed, leaving afterimages in its wake to confuse opponents. When mastered, the technique could produce up to five afterimages, making it difficult for enemies to distinguish the real attacker.

"These are indeed good techniques. Especially Endless Strikes, Swirling Flow, and Phantom Dash. But Sweeping Gale requires precise timing to defeat an opponent instantly. If I use it in the heat of battle, it'll catch them completely off guard," Auron smirked as he reviewed the manual.

He began practicing the combat arts with Xiao Yu's assistance. Xiao Yu, with its advanced computational abilities, kept track of Auron's progress and provided real-time guidance. As Auron's soul cultivation advanced, Xiao Yu's capacity to compute and deduce had also soared, allowing it to multitask efficiently while maintaining high accuracy.

Auron enjoyed his training so much that he didn't sleep through the night. He had already reached halfway to the Initiate Realm, but that wasn't enough. He needed to incorporate fire or shadow into the techniques to make them more lethal.

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The next morning, Auron took on the house chores to lighten his mother's burden. With the cold weather outside, he couldn't take Evelyn out for a walk. Though he could use his celestial aura to shield her, doing so would raise suspicions, as a Tier 1 magus shouldn't have enough mana to sustain such a spell for long.

Auron sat by the fireplace with Evelyn, silently nourishing her with celestial aura while humming a lullaby. Even though Evelyn had just woken up and wasn't sleepy, she stayed peacefully in Auron's arms, watching the flickering flames.

As he held her, Auron's mind wandered, contemplating the creation of a unique spell based on the "Omniscient" fire heavenly rune he had recently comprehended.

"How can I best utilize its inherent abilities? I shouldn't focus on enhancing my thinking power—that would just overlap with what I already have. Plus, I had Xiao Yu to assists me with that. Any ideas, Xiao Yu?" Auron thought.

"How about a soul attack spell? From my analysis, your intelligence seems closely related to your soul. There should be a way to create a spell that targets an opponent's soul," Xiao Yu suggested.

"A soul attack spell, huh? That sounds perfect! If I can make it work, I could even amplify its effects with the help of my mystical eyes," Auron thought, his excitement growing.

Feeling cheerful about the new idea, Auron gently tickled Evelyn's feet, causing her to giggle. Her laughter echoed through the living room, filling it with warmth.

Hearing the chuckles, Sarah smiled from the kitchen. "How close they are. I hope Auron will take care of her as they grow up," she thought to herself.

She had been observing how attentive Auron was with Evelyn. He was always so gentle and patient, a side of him that made her proud. Some families never experienced such closeness, but Sarah was grateful for the bond her children shared.

Auron continued meditating on the "Order" fire heavenly rune until evening approached. Once finished, he changed into tight-fitting clothes that wouldn't restrict his movements. Though most magi preferred wearing robes, Auron was a skilled close-combat fighter, and he didn't want his attire hindering him—especially in the forest where branches and thorns were abundant.

"Mother, I'm heading out," Auron called as he left his room, but before leaving, he returned to kiss his baby sister. "Be a good girl, okay? Love you."

A short while later, Auron arrived at the gathering spot near the area where he had previously killed the beast that ambushed him. Uncle Ray, Thyra, Alice, and others were already waiting.

"There you are. I thought you weren't coming," said Alice as she spotted him.

"I'm not late, am I?" replied Auron, a bit surprised. He thought he had arrived early, but it seemed the others were even earlier.

"Hello, Uncle Ray. It's been a while since I last saw you," Auron greeted with a smile.

"Hello, little guy. But why did you bring weapons?" Uncle Ray asked, raising an eyebrow.

Before Auron could respond, Thyra chimed in, "Auron's a brawler—he doesn't use weapons at all."

Auron had already told Thyra and Alice not to reveal his treasured bow. Although he wasn't afraid of trouble, he preferred to avoid unnecessary attention.

"Is that so? Alright, then. These are Eric, Miya, and Erina—my party members. They'll be ensuring your safety throughout the hunting trip," Uncle Ray introduced his team.

Eric was a tall, imposing man with ash-grey hair. His muscular arms suggested his role as a frontline fighter, and a large shield rested beside him. Miya, with her slender figure and crimson hair, exuded a fiery aura. She carried a bow on her back, with several daggers strapped to her belt. Finally, Erina, the youngest of the group, had vibrant energy, her black hair streaked with white. She looked to be in her late teens.

"Eric must be the tank or primary damage dealer. Miya is clearly the marksman providing ranged support, and Erina seems new—probably a novice. But all of them are early to mid-level Tier 2 magi. Only Uncle Ray is an upper-level Tier 2 magus," Auron thought, observing them carefully before greeting them politely.

"Uncle Ray, what types of beasts will we be hunting, and how strong are they?" Auron asked curiously, wanting to be prepared for any potential dangers.

"We'll be moving through areas with Wood Moose and Mud Boars. Be especially careful with the Mud Boars—they tend to go a little wild once they're provoked," replied Uncle Ray.

"Don't worry, kid. We've got you covered," Eric said with confidence.

"I'll do my best not to slow anyone down," Auron replied seriously.

"Wood Moose, huh? They're big, but generally not aggressive unless provoked. Mud Boars, on the other hand, are bound to get vicious once attacked. Nothing too extreme, though. It shouldn't be too dangerous. I should commission a custom bow for this trip—it'll be a good chance to practice my archery skills. I still haven't checked out the treasure I found recently either," Auron thought, mentally planning his next steps.