Chapter 42: Collapse

For the next four days, Luca didn't venture into the mountains to train. Instead, he practiced his sword techniques and perception training near his home. Since he had started following the exercises from the book, his physical strength had steadily increased. His appetite had grown as well. Luca found himself devouring larger portions of food, during his mealtimes.

In his free time, Luca took care of the household chores while his mother was at work. He filled vessels with water from the village well and tended to the vegetable garden, clearing out weeds, removing stones, and sweeping away leaves brought by the wind. 

After cleaning the garden, he tilled the soil around the plants and fetched more water from the well to pour over them. The sight of the clean garden enveloped him with a peaceful feeling.

Rhea, his mother, came home at sunset. When she saw the tidy garden and the chores completed, she said, "Luca, you didn't have to do all that. You should focus on your training and rest in your free time."

Luca smiled and replied, "It's not a big deal, Mom. Your son is stronger now. I can help with the work too." He stood up straight, his shoulders back, and his chest out, as if to demonstrate his newfound strength.

Rhea's face softened with happiness as she stroked his hair.

During dinner, Luca ate an extra bowl of rice. As she watched him eat, Rhea's eyes became nostalgic, a faraway look in her eyes. "It seems you're growing up, Luca," she said softly.

Luca grinned, his teeth flashing in the dim light, "Mom, I'm already grown up."

"Ah, yes, yes," Rhea said with a warm laugh, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

On the fifth day since the encounter with the cat-like creature, Luca finally returned to the mountain. He went to his usual training spot, the sound of the waterfall and the rustling of the leaves filling the air.

As midday approached, Luca sat down and unpacked the lunch he had brought from home. Just as he was about to eat, he sensed movement behind him. Reacting swiftly, he distanced himself from the spot and turned around.

Luca's eyes widened in shock. Standing where he had just been was the same cat-like creature he had helped days ago. Its curious eyes studied him.

Luca's eyes were fixed on the creature. Even though he had helped the creature, he knew little about mystical beings and their habits. That was why he had waited four days before returning to the mountain. He hadn't expected the creature to seek him out.

Perplexed, Luca wondered how it had found him. He focused on the creature, which was now sniffing his lunch, its tail twitching with interest. Before Luca could react, the creature started eating it.

"My lunch," Luca thought mournfully.

The creature finished the food but still didn't look satisfied. It padded toward Luca, who instinctively stepped back.

"Mystical creature sir," Luca said nervously, "I was the one who saved you. I'm not food. Please, I'm not tasty. Leave me alone. I'll even get you more food!" He held up his hands, palms outwards, in a calming gesture. 

The creature continued approaching, and Luca kept backing away until his back pressed against a tree. Panic surged through him. He knew he couldn't outrun the creature. Its speed and agility far surpassing his own.

Looking into its eyes, Luca saw no aggression, only curiosity.

Just as he was deciding whether to run, the creature opened its mouth, its jaws wide open. Luca's heart skipped a beat, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios.

But instead of attacking him, the creature began licking his face enthusiastically, its tongue warm and rough against his skin.

Luca breathed a sigh of relief. He laughed despite himself. "Okay, okay, I get it. You're friendly," he said, wiping his face.

Luca cautiously moved around, but the creature's eyes tracked Luca's movements, without any hostility. Despite this, Luca kept his distance, unsure of what to make of the creature's behaviour. He resumed his training on an empty stomach.

As he picked up his sword, the creature didn't care, its attention focused on the shallow pool formed by a small waterfall. It sat by the water's edge, intently watching the fish swim lazily in the clear water. Whenever a fish caught its eye, it would scoop it out and eat it, the sound of splashing and crunching filling the air.

Luca shifted his attention back to his training. Ever since witnessing the fight between the two creatures, he had wanted to grow stronger and never feel helpless like that again.

He started swinging his sword repeatedly. The creature, seeing Luca ignoring it, began to disturb him lightly, its tail twitching with mischief. It would bat at his sword or nudge him with its head, trying to get his attention. The more Luca ignored it, the more persistent the creature became.

Unable to take it anymore, Luca said, "Stop it! I want to get stronger. I've already fallen behind on my training." The creature just looked at him with an innocent expression, as if to say, "Who, me?"

The creature looked at him deeply, then suddenly went away, disappearing into the trees.

Luca felt a little lost. "Did I hurt its feelings?" he wondered. But he wasn't even sure if the creature could understand him.

Shaking off the thought, he continued his training.

After some time, the creature returned. Luca felt relieved. "It's not angry," he thought.

The creature approached and dropped something from its mouth—the same type of fruit Luca had used to heal its injuries.

When Luca didn't react, the creature nudged him, its head bumping gently against his leg.

"Do you want me to eat it?" Luca asked, hesitantly.

The creature nodded, its ears perking up with excitement. Luca was taken aback, unsure of what to do. 

"No, you can eat it. I'm fine," Luca said, trying to push the fruit back towards the creature. But it persisted, nudging him again and again.

Even though he was amazed by the fruit's healing properties, he didn't know what effect it would have on him. "If I die just from eating a fruit, that would be embarrassing," he thought.

When Luca still didn't eat it, the creature let out a roar, the sound echoing through the trees.

Startled, Luca quickly picked up the fruit. He walked to the water and cleaned it. Seeing the creature's puzzled expression, Luca said, "Well, it was covered in soil, so I cleaned it."

The creature's gaze seemed to hold a hint of disdain, or was he just imagining it? Shaking off the absurd thought, Luca looked at the flawless fruit and took a small bite.

The sweetness flooded his senses. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. Unable to control himself, he devoured the entire fruit.

Even after finishing, he savoured the aftertaste, smacking his lips. "Amazing," he thought.

Suddenly, realization struck him. He had eaten the fruit on instinct without thinking about the consequences. "What if something happens to me now?" he worried.

Luca looked at the creature, then suddenly felt light-headed and fainted.

The creature looked surprised and hurried to his side, sniffing him. Hearing Luca's steady heartbeat, the creature simply sat down beside him and started to doze off.