The Ridgeback Wolf Cub.

Claws as large as Rune's arm hissingly tore through the air and trenched the rock face where Rune has been a moment ago.

His reflex saved him once more. He has been at it with this Thunder Bear since morning, and now it was past noon. Its strength was profound.

He lunged forward with determination. He wasn't going to run no matter what.

He had tried all his tricks and trump cards on this Diamond Flesh Cultivation Level magical beast to no avail! Its defense power was just too high!

Boom!

He hit its head sending both of them reeling back from the force of collision.

Roar!!!

A sonic wave blasted Rune further back like a leaf. His garments were now tattered, rags tied to his waist and neck.

He stood his ground as the bear came rushing in. It shook the ground with each footsteps, triggering landslides and groundquakes.

It's time to end this.

He drew his sword and slashed with all his strength.

The bear was slow to react. It felt the approaching danger but couldn't do anything about it. It stubbornly continued its charge, heading straight into the flying sword.

The sword embedded into the bear's head all the way to the hilt, sending it crashing into the ground with tremendous force.

Rune side stepped as the bear came crashing past him. He heaved a sigh of relief. This battle had tested his endurance to the extreme.

If it had continued for a few more minutes, his stamina would have run out and would have left him in a precarious position.

He absorbed the bear into his Storage Space for later use. What he needed now was to go back and take some rest at his cave.

It had been weeks since the other coming-of-age kids left for their respective homes.

...

Sigrid was sitting beside her mother in Rymanore, the capital city of Rivendell, talking of her time in the kingdom of Valoria.

She had spent weeks after the coming of age ceremony avoiding the advances of Sanders day in and night.

She felt suffocated just thinking of her time in Valoria. Well, except for a three week duration with some other kid, a year younger herself.

She didn't know how to broach the subject to her mother.

Meanwhile, First Princess of the Rivendell, Calorina Woodland looked at her daughter with love and curiosity.

Since her daughter had returned, she had felt her happiness and anticipation like heat from a bonfire.

She was curious why? Because ever since her husband's death, her daughter Sigrid had kept to herself, finding no joy in almost anything except her solitude.

She had feared her daughter had suffered more than she imagined, more than the pain she herself was still feeling.

If it were up to her, all those backstabbers would have been long dead and rotting in the ground. Fortunately for them, her Queen mother had stayed her hand.

" It's time you find a beast for your contract my daughter, I will help you choose between the ones we have in the royal forest and those in the public forest. " Calorina warmly informed her daughter.

At that, Sigrid's mind rushed back to the time she had flown on Lenthandra's back. She couldn't help but feel a pang of loss.

"Mother" she was determined to get what she wants " I met someone, I....just forget about it" she blushed and couldn't finish her statement.

Nevertheless, the meaning was fully conveyed. Her mother looked deeply at her, her eyes filled with understanding and sorrow.

Understanding of what love is and was for her. Sorrow at what pain it can cause.

For her, to love is to suffer , for without suffering, there was no love. Love is there to prepare you for the suffering while suffering was there to open your heart to love.

Love and suffering are two paradoxes of the same thing that only a few people get a gleam of its truth and understanding.

" Who is he?, you know that your father's people will merry you off to one of the neighbouring kingdoms to secure and improve their relationships right?" She came clean with her, the sooner she knew what was expected of her the better.

But of course, her as her mother, wished her daughter could merry the love of her life.

" Mother, I won't let them, and I won't let you let them either, plus grandmother and grandfather won't just sit there and watch their flesh and blood sold like sheep on market."

Calorina only shook her head at the stubbornness of her daughter. It was at times like these that she really missed her late husband. His streak of stubbornness flowed in their daughter's blood with no reservations at all.

.....

Rune held the coat he had refined just now from the bear's skin, in his hands. It was brown and spiky on the shoulders.

This was his new garb. He put it on over the tattered clothes of his. It stretched all the way to his heels, making a full ranger out of him. It perfectly suited him.

The coat was his latest masterpiece, equipped with high defensive power and antigravitation runes.

The remaining parts of the beast, he turned them to gold coins.

Days passed just like that. Two days before his system shop closed, he opened it for the last time.

Pop!

[System Store > Shop ]

[ What would the host like to purchase?]

A sword skeleton

[ Which tier skeleton would you like to purchase. NB a weapon skeleton grows as the refiner grows. So the tier of the weapon is only advantageous during the first year or so, depending on the cultivating speed of the refiner.]

A tier 4 skeleton

[ 400 000 gold coins deducted from the system.]

A four tier skeleton of a sword appeared in his hand. He paid it not much attention as he kept his attention on the shop interface. He only has today and tomorrow before the shop closes.

System bring me the best armour that I can wear under my coat , but first deduct 50 000 gold coins and bring out my pet.

A lean and light, shiny greyish armour coalesced before him. On its side was a small grey wolf which looked up at him adoringly. He scooped it up and stroked its back.

It licked his hand and then bit hard into it. Two canine teeth punctured his hard skin until blood oozed out.

Rune had been expecting this so he wasn't that much surprised. The moment the cub tasted his blood, a link was established between them.

An emotion of extreme hunger involuntarily caused his stomach to grow.

It's not your hunger, you better find it food before its body starts to consume itself from within. Advised Lenthandra.

Without any more prompting, he rushed out of the cave into the forest.

Within a few breaths, he was back carrying a warthog on his shoulders. It was as huge as a cow.

The cub attacked the meat ferociously. Rune paid it no further attention.

The sword need high magical materials to grow and fleshen up. Use my shadings, they will do just fine.

Rune look the shaded rare metallic mythril skin of the dragon and fed it to the sickly looking skeleton. The wire thin sword transformed before his eyes.

A sword with a double hilt took form in his hands. The sword had a dragon head embedded on its pommel and dragon flames bursting forth along the double edged grey-silver blade.

He was sure this was an artifact that would bring him more trouble than good in the cuvilised societies. He will have to use it carefully.

Now it's time to go hunting. You only have tomorrow before the shop shuts down. That's is your only window to buy points before the Soul Realm. Lenthandra lazily reminded him.