Chapter 7:The Art of Survival

Chapter 7:The Art of Survival

After his success, Peter turned his gaze toward the large, raven-like bird that had been watching him without pause. Its dark eyes, holding an unsettling intelligence, confirmed his suspicions—it had been following him for quite some time.

He considered this for a moment before coming up with an idea. Gathering the scraps of their evening meal, he carried them about twenty meters away from the former campfire. Then, he returned to his spot, leaning against the cold, rough surface of a rock.

For a while, the bird just stared at him, as if analyzing the situation. Then, without a sound, it glided down from its perch and began pecking at the discarded food. It ate slowly, cautiously, as if expecting a trap. Once it had finished with the smaller pieces, it grabbed the largest one and flew back to its branch, tucking its prize away for later. Then, as if nothing had happened, it resumed watching the camp.

Peter let out a quiet chuckle."Heh… Looks like it's going to follow us around now, hoping for free meals."

Even so, he didn't dismiss the idea of killing the creature. He was well aware that ignoring its presence could have unforeseen consequences. How could he be sure the bird wouldn't change its behavior? That it wasn't serving someone else?

He pondered this for a while, staring at the creature, until he finally sighed and made a decision."Better not take any chances… at least for now."

Especially since he didn't know how strong this creature was or what its abilities were

Ultimately, what worried him more was his lack of control over his own powers. He needed to focus. He still didn't fully understand how his elements—darkness and shadow—functioned. That was his biggest weakness.

And then there was the matter of his aspect, which he had yet to fully master, and his attribute—but that would have to wait.

Darkness first.

Peter recalled his master's words:

'You may be a master swordsman, but if you encounter an opponent who has a talent for magic, you will find yourself on the losing side. Even if you outperform him in hand-to-hand combat, magic will always give him the advantage. In these times, you can't afford to ignore it.'

Those words echoed in his mind. He had already learned this lesson the hard way. His fight today with the bandit who wielded electricity was proof of that. The man had been a pathetically weak swordsman—yet he had been one of the most dangerous foes Peter had faced in a long time.

He wouldn't let that happen again.

'I need to learn the basics of magic before I end up in that situation once more.'

Taking a deep breath, he focused. He closed his eyes, silencing his thoughts, trying to sense even the faintest trace of his power. Minutes stretched into an hour before he finally felt something distinct—like a subtle, intangible shadow shifting beneath his skin. It was something foreign, yet at the same time… familiar.

It was darkness.

He couldn't control it yet—but at least he knew it was there.

With each attempt, he learned how to influence it. And then, after what felt like ages, he finally managed to force it into a material form. A sluggish, black substance seeped out from the shadows beneath him, twisting into irregular, amorphous shapes. It wasn't useful yet, but it was progress.

Peter watched the pulsating, shapeless mass and smirked."Well… it's a start."

He began experimenting, commanding the dark matter to take different forms—blades, spheres, walls. It was exhausting, yet strangely satisfying. He lost track of time, until he suddenly realized that four hours had passed.

"Damn, I really got caught up in this..."

By his estimation, it had been nearly six hours since he started. He stood up and walked over to Selene, gently shaking her shoulder.

"It's your turn," he said quietly. "Try to understand how to control your abilities, but don't forget to keep watch."

Still half-asleep, Selene nodded.

looking at him with a hint of distrust but accepting his command

Peter stepped into his tent and finally allowed himself to sleep.

[Attribute: Death Walker has been activated due to current conditions.]...