Kabanata 4

Keenan's irises concentrated on the Nightmare, his blade sunk deeper in the monster. When Keenan felt that the blade reached the heart, Keenan decided to return his blade-like hand from its original form- a hand. The blade eroded like molecules of grains. They rotated around his arm and took a shape of a hand, it reached three seconds to complete this process.

Now, he had two hands to unfold the wound of the monster. He grabbed the wound he created and inserted his hand, he was using his utmost precision not to destroy the N-core. Keenan grasped the heart and slowly pulled it out, a gush of black blood spread down the ground but Keenan didn't feel any disgust. He always saw blood here in the present and past life, he was used to seeing and touching them. 

Keenan set his eyes at the slightly beating heart. Inside this organ, the answer to his suffering resides. His problem with hunger and aching ribs would be alleviated if he ate the content. Keenan didn't hesitate to tear the heart. He saw the veins popping blood, but continued and strictly search for the N-core. 

After a few seconds, Keenan found the item that he was searching for, a marble-like crystal glinted with a rosy hue. It was small, the size was 1-centimeter diameter, it was a perfect sphere with no bumps or flaws. 

A beautiful stone, like a jewel or perhaps far better than a jewel and pearl. The N-core, the source of power. Every Nightmare has N-core inside them, sometimes it was two or three. 

The N-core that Keenan was grasping right now was a Class-D. It was second to the bottom. But for Keenan, this was his saving grace. 

Keenan quickly put the crystal in his mouth, he didn't even chew it, he gulped the crystal. He was too hungry to savor it, his saliva circled in his mouth. Even though the N-core just touched his tongue in milliseconds, the taste of the crystal struck him, it was delicious. 

"As always, N-core is like drugs that most of Arma and Bestia would die for… Now, that I think about it, perhaps this is a normal reaction for us since we all wanted to become stronger."

Keenan mentioned as he kept clucking his tongue to taste the residue. N-core was one of the main factors to become stronger. The more you eat, the faster and stronger your body evolves. 

Eating N-core was the easiest way to become stronger, although doing it was tedious since they had to open up the body of the dead Nightmare to get it. 

Well, Keenan didn't care about aesthetics right now. He was alone in this wasteland and no one would make fun of his appearance. 

"Besides, I really need N-cores, my injury will heal fast if I eat more N-cores."

Keenan touched his ribs, it was still painful but he could endure it now. He felt the heat surging in his stomach, the N-core was being digested and flowing through his veins. It slightly healed his injury but one N-core was not enough to fully heal him. 

"I need twenty Class-D to heal it, or perhaps three or four Class-C."

His stomach grumbled, it seemed like it was asking for more. Keenan chuckled as his body was being honest. Keenan looked at the Zviera that he just killed, he sighed in disappointment. The only thing he could eat in this monster was none other than the N-core. Aside from that, this monster was poisonous, even an Arma like him couldn't fight the toxicity of this. 

"Still, thank you for giving me food. Now, I guess I have to welcome these other guests too."

Keenan looked around, he knew that other Nightmares were in the background eyeing him. His experience helped him, he could feel their strong killing intent. Their instincts were too obvious and apparent that even in this darkness their presences were noticeable. 

"Let's start with one by one, okay? I'm not good with multiple you see, my back quickly hurt after doing it twice."

He made bad jokes but no one appreciated it. Keenan wanted to calm himself by saying corny jokes. He understood that one wrong move, he would die here and get feast on by these Nightmares. His body would be torn apart as the monsters bit and chewed him eating him alive. The image lingered in his mind and Keenan used it as a motivation, he didn't want that thing to happen. 

He raised his left hand again. Just like earlier, it deconstructed and molded into a blade, this phenomenon was called Partial Transformation. 

He could manifest his form, a katana, although it was incomplete with only his left hand become a blade. Still, he didn't have a choice but to pave his way here by using only a portion of his power. As an Arma, he could manifest his full power if his Handler, Carson, was here. Being nitpick won't help him this time, and he was not a nitpick, to begin with. Keenan experienced hardship and use to it.

"Hoh, two appear this time."

He grinned and pointed his weapon at them. Two different Zvieras slowly approached him, the first was tiger-like and the second looked like a hyena. They were both eyeing each other, stating that Keenan was its food. They growled at Keenan and the other, it seemed like this battle would be a rumble with each of them hostile at one another. 

"Oi, oi, relax, I can not do two simultaneously, my body can't keep up with that. Perhaps, if one of you give way, I can satisfy both of you. I'm good with threesome, although I have to penetrate deeper to get your heart… literally."

Again with the stupid joke, but instead of laughter and applaud, Keenan got a growling. The monsters faced him, ready to pounce and rip his body. Keenan acknowledged that this was not the time to fool around anymore. The eyes of the two beasts were cast at him, they were eager to consume him. 

However, Keenan won't let it happen without a fight, he would put his life at this moment to see the sun again. This was the best option he could think of right now, he didn't have any place to hide and decided to face them head-on in this dark dreary plain.